Pennsylvania Democratic voter registration spikes after Kamala Harris enters race

The number of Democratic voter registrations in Pennsylvania has risen sharply in the three weeks since Vice President Kamala Harris entered the race, State Department data shows.

The enhance in registered Democrats came amid a wave of polls nationally and in key battleground states that reflect growing enthusiasm for Harris’ candidacy, which is impressive. number of collectionsand a wave of highly detailed Zoom forums (see “Dead Heads for Kamala”) aimed at mobilizing support for the vice president.

Stirring passions in Pennsylvania, a key swing state that will likely decide the election, is especially essential for Harris’ campaign as it looks to meet or expand President Joe Biden’s agenda miniature victory margin in the Commonwealth of Nations from 2020

But after July 21 — when Biden dropped out of the race and endorsed Harris — the race changed drastically, and with it came about 1000 more registrations for the Democratic Party, marking the largest lead in modern registrations for Democrats since the end of 2023.

As of Aug. 14, Democrats have about 350,000 more registrations than Republicans in the Commonwealth. Four years ago, Democrats About received 800,000 more registrations than Republicans.

Republicans have registered more than Democrats in Pennsylvania for most of 2024, especially during the week of the Republican National Convention in July, just days after former President Donald Trump survived the assassination attempt in Butler. More Pennsylvania voters registered as Republicans this week than in any week since 2020.with registrations increasing by 2,000, according to voter data collected by The New York Times.

In slow July, Republicans overtook Democrats in voter registration in Bucks County — a key suburb with robust Republican leanings — for the first time in a century and a half, becoming the only county in the Philadelphia region with a majority Republican voter registration.

While gains in voter registration have moderated slightly since the week of Biden dropping out of the race, and the number of registered Republicans remains high, the enhance in registered Democrats may have eroded some of the momentum that had been building in GOP registration since the week of the RNC.

Registered voters are not always representative of the broader electorate, and a vast number of modern voters in Pennsylvania are not registered with any party, making it challenging to assess their prospects for the election. Still, the enhance in Democratic registrations could signal a positive trend for Democrats.

Until Biden dropped out of the race, voters were… skeptical about the president’s ability to generate enthusiasm to vote against Trump just like he did in 2020.

But after his disastrous performance in the June 27 debate with Trump, Democratic leaders began calling on Biden and others in the party to resign. expressed further concern about Biden’s appearance and condition.

Last week, Harris first introduced her vice presidential candidate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, to a raucous Philadelphia crowd that at times simulated a concert crowd — Taylor Swift-style light-up wristbands and all — perhaps symbolizing the growing enthusiasm for the campaign.