Republicans in Philadelphia suburbs try to win back voters’ votes

“The Montgomery County Republican Party is back.”

Christian Nascimento, the county party chairman, made the declaration last month as it rained on dozens of volunteers and committee members in Jenkintown, where the party opened the first of several planned satellite offices in areas traditionally dominated by Blue Party supporters.

While it is unlikely that former President Donald Trump will win any Philadelphia counties, any chance that Republicans can improve on their 2020 results could play a pivotal role in the outcome of November’s presidential election, as well as the race for the U.S. Senate and control of the Pennsylvania state legislature.

The suburbs played a key role in President Joe Biden’s victory over Trump in Pennsylvania in 2020. In Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties, Biden increased his overall lead by nearly 105,000 votes over Hillary Clinton in 2016.

Republicans see an opportunity to employ dissatisfaction with the economy and immigration under Biden to bring more voters to their side. Some are also bypassing Trump’s rhetoric and belligerent style to bring more people to the GOP.

“We’re not just looking at 24,” said Giana DePaul, executive director of the Montgomery County Republican Committee. She noted that after the presidential election in November, the party will immediately turn its attention to next year’s local elections.

But for the Republican Party, achieving success may prove to be a challenging task.

Jason Salus, chairman of the Montgomery County Democratic Party, pointed to the record of Trump and his vice presidential candidate, Sen. J.D. Vance, on issues such as reproductive rights, which he said would likely turn off suburban voters.

“They have no choice but to try, but I’m optimistic about our chances. We’re not going to slow down, though,” he said.

Republicans are changing their message to appeal to suburban voters.

The Philadelphia suburbs are part of a long-running nationwide trend of suburban areas, once bastions of economic conservatism, moving leftward. Montgomery County is the earliest and most definitive example of this shift in the Philadelphia region. The county has voted Democratic for president since 1992, and Democrats flipped county government in 2011 — years before the party won control of local government in other collar counties.

Since then, Democrats have tightened their grip on Montgomery County. Republicans acknowledge they will have to work strenuous to improve their performance — especially as moderates have abandoned the party over their dislike of Trump.

And this task could be even harder if Gov. Josh Shapiro, a popular Democrat from Abington, is selected as Kamala Harris’ vice presidential running mate.

Bob Asher, a former state and Montgomery GOP chairman who has long been one of Pennsylvania’s most influential Republicans, has funded the satellite offices opening this year. He said the party needs to “appeal to the moderate voter in the middle” and include Republicans across the ideological spectrum to win support.

“The party over the last probably 25 years has perhaps not become as effective in campaigning and explaining its positions as it should be. I think a lot of that is self-inflicted,” he said.

The Republican Party is hoping that opening more offices, especially in some of the most Democratic municipalities, will lend a hand it tap into voter frustration with Biden’s presidency.

“The biggest thing here is just the identification with the community, especially in some of these areas that have been blue for so long,” DePaul said. “Even if they just drive by and see the sign, they see we’re here. We’re in the community and we want to hear from you.”

They are also willing to discuss specific policy issues, such as the economy and immigration. Frank Agovino, chairman of the Delaware County Republican Party, said he is working to send a message that Republicans are “reasonable.”

This strategy is perceptible in individual campaigns.

When U.S. Senate candidate Dave McCormick has visited surrounding counties in recent months, his events have focused less on partisan politics and more on issues of broader concern.

In June, he visited Bucks County for an event aimed at restoring the functionality of Congress. Weeks later, in Delaware County, he unveiled his “pro-family” agenda, including proposals to protect access to in vitro fertilization and contraception while offering tax breaks for fertility treatments. Still, incumbent Democratic Sen. Bob Casey is expected to outshine McCormick in the Philadelphia region.

Dave Winkler, who is challenging Democratic incumbent U.S. Rep. Madeleine Dean in the November general election, said he is trying to move beyond partisan politics.

“I say, ‘Hey, look, the principal will be the principal. I’m there as [legislator] “I want to have oversight, whether the president is a Democrat or a Republican, but I’m also here to focus on the people,” Winkler said of his conversations with voters.

Engaging voters

Winkler is campaigning with a strong chance in a heavily Democratic district. Dean, a third-term incumbent, won by more than 20 points in 2022.

But he’s still trying to reach out to Democratic voters.

“The presence at the Democratic door has to happen because you’re going to hear firsthand that they expect you to come to that door, they expect you to talk, to talk about those good conservative values,” Winkler told fellow Republicans at an office opening last month. “Do that work, and we’ll turn it around.”

Guy Ciarrocchi, a Republican strategist, said suburban Republicans will gain support, boosting support for Republican voters. He predicted that lower-tier candidates such as U.S. Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (R., Bucks) and McCormick could outperform Trump in that area.

“It’s really about generating support and getting people to vote,” he said.

Montgomery County Republicans are doubling down on mail-in voting, urging GOP voters to “bank” their votes rather than wait until Election Day to head to the polls.

“The easiest way to get votes is from people who are already registered, we just have to get the ballots out to them,” said Joe Rooney, chairman of the Abington Republicans, who is running for state representative in a majority-Democratic district.

Rooney is spending the summer knocking on doors of Republicans, undecided voters or voters with weak Democratic leanings, as classified by campaign software. During the campaign, he is handing out absentee ballot applications to Republicans.

Rather than focusing on debating specific policies, Rooney is asking what’s important to them and is already reaching out to local officials to help solve problems in their neighborhoods, such as noise, traffic and drug use.

Keith Herder, a registered Democrat from Abington, is one of the residents Rooney wanted to help.

In an interview outside his home last week after Rooney’s visit, Herder said he was frustrated that officials in his community were not keeping their promises. He said he was open to voting for Trump or Vice President Kamala Harris in November.

Herder said he dislikes Trump as a politician but respects him as a businessman. He said he likes Harris but is skeptical about whether she will improve the economy.

“The economy is bad, inflation is bad,” he said. “Who is going to do it best?”