Donald Trump attacked Pennsylvania elections, falsely claimed that 20% of mail-in ballots are fraudulent, and called for a DOJ/FBI investigation into the state.
Trump posted on Truth Social:
An interview by Tucker Carlson of an election expert indicates that 20% of the Mail-In Ballots in Pennsylvania are fraudulent. Here we go again! Where is the U.S. Attorney General and FBI to INVESTIGATE? Where is the Pennsylvania Republican Party? We will WIN Pennsylvania by a lot, unless the Dems are allowed to CHEAT. THE RNC MUST ACTIVATE, NOW!!!
Everything Trump said about Pennsylvania and Pennsylvania voting is a lie. Trump won’t be able to overturn the results in Pennsylvania because of provisions in the state constitution that require election certification. Some small counties tried to block certification in the last election and were sued by the state and forced to certify the election.
Trump isn’t confident that he will win Pennsylvania. The ex-president sees the energy and the big crowds that the Harris campaign is drawing and more importantly, he understands that if Democrats show up and vote in Pennsylvania, Democrats have demonstrated for years now that they win statewide.
Trump’s best chance of winning the Keystone State was to replicate the lowish voter turnout of 2016. Rural Democrats didn’t show up in big enough numbers for Hillary Clinton in 2016. In 2012, Barack Obama got 40% of the rural Pennsylvania vote, but that percentage fell to 26% for Hillary Clinton in 2016. The percentage rebounded to 30% for President Biden in 2020, and if Kamala Harris matches Biden’s 30%, she will win Pennsylvania.
There are circumstantial suggestions that Trump is not operating at 2016 levels in Pennsylvania. Trump’s rallies in the state aren’t drawing 2016-level crowds, and one of the keys to the ex-president’s success eight years ago was gathering big crowds and converting those attendees into voters. Smaller crowds mean fewer new contacts and potential new voters for the campaign. Trump also has fewer volunteers in the state and field offices than Vice President Harris.
Trump seems to know that he is at a disadvantage in Pennsylvania, which is why he is attacking the state’s election process the day before a presidential debate.
To comment on this story, join us on Reddit.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
