What Might Election 2017 Results Mean For Election 2018 In Pennsylvania?
NORRISTOWN, Pa. (CBS) -- The 2017 election saw big wins for suburban Democrats, including the first seat on Delaware County Council in nearly four decades. So how does that frame the higher stakes of 2018 election, which includes Pennsylvania governor; Bob Casey's U.S. Senate seat and the congressional races?
Pennsylvania Democratic party chair Marcel Groen says traditionally, this would have been the worst year in a cycle for Democrats with no major races in their strongholds. He says, while President Trump remains popular in some parts of the state...
"It's clear that in other areas it's starting to shift," Groen said. "Even the areas that he won. He won Northampton by a significant number, and they got clobbered."
But Pennsylvania GOP chair Val DiGiorgio says despite the narrative of a Republican party back on its heels, the GOP still won the top-of-the-ticket race for Supreme Court with some counties out west coming in at 65-70 percent.
"In the southeast it's a different tale," he said. "It could be related to dislike of the president, it could just as well be the fact that we haven't accomplished anything as Republicans in Congress, any big reforms that we can hang our hat on."
DiGiorgio says with big numbers out west the GOP may not be as reliant on the suburbs as in years past.