Trump doing well in rural areas even if he doesn't have a lock on Pennsylvania, Fetterman warns
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — His name is not on the ballot, but Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman has been campaigning hard across the commonwealth for his party's slate of candidates.
Fetterman made a name for himself by going to every county in Pennsylvania, so he's a bit of an expert on the state's 67 distinct counties. The Democrat says don't underestimate Donald Trump's support in many rural counties, noting Trump signs on barns, farms, and yards.
"You all know how popular he is with a lot of people, even watching this right now," Fetterman said. "And all the time I spend going across Pennsylvania, visual, it's jarring and surprising the level of kinds of devotion."
Despite that support, Fetterman believes it's not a lock for Trump.
"Will Vice President Harris carry Pennsylvania next Tuesday?" KDKA-TV's Jon Delano asked.
"She will," Fetterman said. "She will carry it, but it is going to be very, very close."
Fetterman thinks Harris supporters in the city, suburbs and neighboring counties of Pittsburgh can make the difference.
"It's going to be a visceral gut-check kind of vote," Fetterman said. "And for those people that haven't already decided, they're going to walk in and it's going to be like, what do I want for the next four years for America?"
Fetterman says Harris and running-mate Tim Walz followed his advice to campaign in areas outside Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.
"If you don't show up and there's only one side that does, then it's that reasonable some people are going to turn their back and say, 'If you're not even going to show up, then why am I even vote for that?'" Fetterman said.
Of course, Trump has also been campaigning in all regions of the state, too. In a statement, a Trump spokesman said the former president would win this state, noting, "Each time Pennsylvanians fill up their tank with gas, go grocery shopping, or see headlines about Kamala's dumpster fire of a border crisis, it's another nudge to cement Pennsylvania as Trump Country on November 5th."
