2016 election
The Pennsylvania GOP is twiddling its thumbs waiting for Trump as Clinton prepares for battle
In the key battleground state of Pennsylvania, Republican operatives are waiting for commands from Trump headquarters only to watch cobwebs grow on their phones. Even as Hillary Clinton moves into make-or-break counties in preparation for the general election, the Trump campaign severely lags in infrastructure to swing the state red, Politico reports.
For Trump supporters, that means good news and bad news: "The good news is, the level of enthusiasm for Mr. Trump in this county is the strongest I've ever seen for anyone. The bad news is, the resources at our disposal are by far the worst I've ever seen in any campaign, at least in any presidential campaign," Republican chairman of Westmoreland County Michael Korns told Politico.
Korns explained, "They don't yet have any sort of field-level staffers, at least that I've interacted with, that are paid, which is unusual at this point in a campaign. Four years ago, we did have multiple staffers available, and that's not here yet."
Other GOP staffers echoed Korns when talking with Politico, saying they also haven't heard from Trump's people yet. That's intentional, at least to some extent — Trump plans to pass control to the Republican National Committee and state party. Still, "there are a number of individuals, with varying levels of authority, some self-appointed, some not, that sort of float around on [the Trump] campaign, so it's definitely been a bit of a learning curve on our end,” Korns said.
Despite Clinton's early organization, she still polls three points behind Trump in the state according to RealClearPolitics and a pro-Clinton super PAC. Maybe there is something to be said for bumper stickers after all.