“Pennsylvanians are joining the Republican Party in record numbers. Since January, 86,093 Democrats joined the PA GOP, and our numbers keep growing. Registration momentum is clearly on the side of the Republican Party of Pennsylvania, and we ready to turn that enthusiasm into victory this November.” – PA GOP Communications Director Megan Sweeney
To find the latest voter registration statistics in Pennsylvania, please click here.
Republicans narrow voter registration gap in Florida, North Carolina, Pennsylvania
CNN
Marshall Cohen
August 29, 2016
Hillary Clinton is enjoying a strong summer but her party’s voter registration advantage is shrinking in three battleground states that could decide the election, according to a CNN analysis of newly released registration data.
With 10 weeks to go, Clinton is favored in CNN’s latest Electoral College map. And there are still more registered Democrats than Republicans in Florida, North Carolina and Pennsylvania. But the GOP has improved its position in all three states by adding hundreds of thousands of voters to the rolls.
Shifts in voter registration don’t necessarily indicate who is attracting new voters, because the rolls are fluid. People switch parties, or move to a new state. Voters die and are removed from the list. And other factors — like this year’s competitive GOP primary — can boost registration levels. But when available, these statistics provide clues about the electorate and the changing political landscape.
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Dem edge drops in Pennsylvania
The latest polls suggest Clinton has a clear lead over Trump in Pennsylvania, and Democrats have long enjoyed a wide registration edge in the Keystone State. They still lead today, but it’s smaller than at any time since November 2007, according to the Pennsylvania Department of State.
Republicans outpaced Democrats this past year, netting 83,000 more voters.
This helped drive down the Democratic advantage to about 916,000, which hasn’t been under 1 million in a presidential year since 2004, when Democrat John Kerry beat President George W. Bush by about 144,000 votes.
Kerry, and then Obama in 2008 and 2012, carried the state because they netted hundreds of thousands of votes from Philadelphia. To close the gap this year, and to make a play for the state’s 20 electoral votes, Trump has focused on Rust Belt towns in Western Pennsylvania, where he thrived in the primary.
“We’re an area that was historically Democratic but has been trending Republican for about 20 years now,” said Michael Korns, chairman of the Westmoreland County Republican Committee, in the Pittsburgh suburbs.
“We’re seeing an acceleration of a trend that we’ve been seeing develop over the years. We’re getting people to embrace the Republican Party and actually become full members.”
Rep. Tom Marino, Trump’s chairman in Pennsylvania, said the campaign believes at least 80,000 Democrats have switched their registration to the Republican Party this year.
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