Pennsylvania blues: Why Joe Biden struggles to connect with voters in his home state

At the Democratic Party headquarters in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., on Thursday,Kathy Bozinski was hailing a victory of sortsdespite thefact that the party lost the county again to Donald Trump.

Trump won Luzerne Countybut by about 5,000 fewervotes than in 2016, when he was up against Democratic challenger Hillary Clinton.

"We wish we could have done more," said Bozinski, chair of the Luzerne County Democratic Party."But when I talked to the statewide Democratic Party, they said Luzerne accomplished what it needed to do. Didn't have to flip, had to be a reduction" in the size of Trump's win.

"I used to say I was shooting for the stars, shooting for a win. But if we hit the moon by just reducing the amount, that's a win, too."

Such is the politicalsituation in Luzerne Countyfor the Democrats, wherevictory in the race for president is now measured by the scope of their loss.

Once a major coal producer

This northeastern county was made somewhat famousin award-winningjournalist Ben Bradlee Jr.'s2018 bookThe Forgotten: How the People of One Pennsylvania County Elected Donald Trump and Changed America.

The county is located about two hours north of Philadelphia witha population of more than 300,000 people, about 90 per cent white, that was once a major coal producer. But those jobs have since gone.

It was here that Trump, with his rough edges,abrasive style and promisesto revitalize the manufacturing base, pulledoff a stunning victory in 2016 by appealing to working-class votersin what was atraditional Democratic county that twice voted for Barack Obama.

For Bradlee and others, the win four years agoand again in 2020ismore an indication of aDemocratic Party that had lost its way by ignoring the party's politicalroots.

And that mightexplain why Democratic candidate Joe Biden, who was born in neighbouringScranton, hasn't walked away withPennsylvania's 20 electoral votes.

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In looking over the 2016 results in Wisconsin,Pennsylvania and Michigan statesthat decided thatelection Bradleediscovered that Luzerne County wasa Democratic stronghold that hadn't voted for a Republican since George BushSr. in 1988.

The county voted for Obama in 2008 and in 2012but went so big for Trump in 2016 that it accounted for 60 per cent of his statewidemargin of victory over Clinton.

Bradleewas intrigued whya county that voted for Obama twice could switch to Trump, and by such a large amount.

"That county played the most important role in winning Pennsylvaniaand therefore the presidency," Bradlee said in an interview with CBC News. "I used thecounty to go deep on Trump voters and why they chose him."

Trump 'takes it to the elites'

The 2020 votes in Pennsylvania are still being counted, and Biden had taken a razor-thin lead early Friday.

While Luzerne County likely won't play the same role it did in the last election, itschanging political landscape may reveal ongoing challenges that the Democrats, and Biden, could have in similar working-class or rural areas of the state.

Bozinski said this time around, the Democratswere not fighting an electoralbattle that involved COVID-19, the economy,social security or health care, although those were factors. They were ultimately fighting a cult of personality with people who like and identify with Trump.

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"That's real tough to knock down." Bozinski said.

Bradleesuggested the party itself must take someresponsibility. He said Democrat votershe spoke with who opted forTrump said "they didn't leave the DemocraticParty, the party left them.

"Trump tapped into the anxieties they had. They felt forgotten. Icalled them the 'forgotten people' ... Washington wasn'tpaying enough attention to them," he said.

"I find these people, they voted with their gut. They're not always voting necessarily on policy and on economic interests. They like Trump.They like the way he ...tweets up a shitstorm every morning and takes it to the elites."

Justin Behrens, the chair of the Luzerne County Republican Party, said that the Democrats were so focused on the progressive movement that they forgot their politicalrootsthe working class.

"Four years ago, a president came on board saying, 'I'm going to start talking about the forgotten, those working-class individuals out there in Luzerne County," Behrens said.

Jobs are plentiful

One of the voters the presidentappealed to was John Burke, who lives in the town of Kingston, with a population of just under 13,000people. It'sabout five minutes northwest ofWilkes-Barre across the Susquehanna River.

Burke was atwo-time Obama voter who didn't trust Hillary Clintonand decided to support Trump.

"He was kind of like an outsider," Burke said. Hepraisedthe job Trump has done as president, but he also had positive words for Obama. ButBurke said he couldn't supportBiden hisroots in Scrantonweren't enough to get his vote.

"I think he was, what, seven years old when he left there?" Burke said. (Biden was actually10). "You know, he's a Delaware guy, if anything."

Burke said that when Biden speaks, it's like "he doesn't know what the hell he wants to say. He just starts repeating the same thing over and over again."

For Rob Acquisto, a passionate Trump supporterwith signs and a large flag swinging from his Kingston home, there is one main reasonwhy this once solidly blue county turned red:prosperity.

Acquisto, who works for an energy company, said since Trump took office, he and his wife have seen a bigdifference in their take-home pay. As well,their401(k), the employer-sponsored retirement plan, is doing great.

"People are feeling good about what's going on," he said. "People have jobs."

Enthusiasm gap between Trump, Biden

Even Chris Shaw, aretired union theatre technician who lives in Kingston and supported Biden "with a vengeance,"notedthat jobs are plentiful in Luzerne County.

For example, Amazon's distribution centres make itthe third-largest employer in the area.

"They're advertising $20-an-hour jobs, which was unheard of not too long ago. There are living-wage jobs that are plentiful here now," he said.

According to the fact-checking website Politifact,citing data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there has been a slow,steady growth in all jobs across Pennsylvania. There's been about a two per cent increasebetweenJanuary2017, when Trump took office, and just before the pandemic hit earlier this year.

Even so, Shaw said a county that elected Obama twice and has since voted for Trump twice is "mindboggingly impossible to grasp."

Shaw did acknowledge that Bidenjust doesn't draw the same enthusiasmthat Trump receives from his supporters.

"I think that's the reason that there wasn't a bigger vote for Biden," he said. "There's just no passion for him and lots of passion for for Trump, for God knows what reason."

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