The last time Republicans had an advantage in voter registration in Bucks County, George W. Bush was president and Barack Obama was campaigning.
That’s why this week’s event was deemed “significant” by Pat Poprik, chairman of the Bucks County Republican Committee.
For the first time since 2007, there were more registered Republicans than Democrats in Bucks County.
Republicans had a 264 percent lead over Democrats, according to data from the Pennsylvania Department of State.
The latest figures show there were 198,045 Republican voters and 197,781 Democratic voters. Continuing a trend seen in recent years, the number of independent voters rose to more than 82,000 in the county.
Poprik said the party and grassroots activists have mounted a “massive” effort to change the county’s voter registration rules.
“It was so hard to get it going, but then we saw it start to happen,” she said. “It was so much work, and it paid off because everyone was rowing in the same direction.”
Local Republicans and committee members worked with campaigns and the county party to force the change.
Republicans have tried to persuade voters and potential voters to register under the GOP banner at events, by phone, online, by going door-to-door and by sending personalized postcards.
Poprik also recognized the contributions of conservative activist Scott Presler.
Presler and his Early Vote Action have led efforts to lend a hand change overall registration numbers in Bucks County.
“It’s done – that large suburban county of Philadelphia that voted for Hillary and Biden is now red. That’s huge, monumental, monstrous, earth-shattering news. We did it!” Presler wrote to X.
State Sen. Frank Farry, a Republican who represents parts of the lower and central parts of the county, responded by saying the registration advantage is good, but the November election will tell the real story.
“As one of the most puritanical counties in the country, we have our ups and downs here, but I think this shows dissatisfaction with Democratic policies,” he said.
Democrats had a lead of more than 4,000 votes at the end of last year, according to state data.
Poprik said Republicans really started to see change in early 2024. From that point on, the goal of reversing the lead in registration seemed achievable.
Poprik noted that the surge in Republican support began in early 2024, making the goal of taking the registration lead seem attainable. She attributed the shift to a variety of factors, including excitement over the recent Republican National Convention, growing dissatisfaction with Democratic officials and policies, and the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump and his conviction on criminal charges.
Voter registration is one thing, but Democrats have had electoral success in Bucks County since 2017. Yet the county is still viewed as moderate and nationally considered a swing county.
Kunal Atit, who worked on the successful re-election campaigns of Democratic Bucks County Commissioners Diane Ellis-Marseglia and Bob Harvie, posted a reaction to the news on social media: “Look at the election results, not the registration numbers. Democrats won Bucks County in 2020, 2022, 2023 and we’ll win it again in 2024.”
Poprik said she believes the Republican Party’s advantage among voters will lend a hand it in November, including in down-ballot elections.
“We expect this to be a really good sign for us in November,” Poprik said.
Republicans plan to stay in touch with recent voters.
“We’ll reach out to them and make sure they vote. We’ll reach out to our regular voters as well,” the county Republican Party chairman said.
Poprik added: “Our guys are really excited and are going to come out.”
The Bucks County Democratic Committee did not respond to a request for comment on voter registration data.
This article was first published in New Hope Free Press. The publication is reprinted here with permission.
