With the outcome of the presidential race in Maryland all but certain, Republicans and Democrats alike have been hitting the road to get out the vote in the neighboring battleground state of Pennsylvania. Photo from pa.gov.
By Robert Stewart
Comptroller Brooke Lierman is a prominent Democrat in Maryland, but lately she has been going next door to campaign – in Pennsylvania.
“It’s the battleground state in the country,” said Lierman. “It’s my duty as an American who believes strongly that this is the most important election in my lifetime to get out, to make sure people have the information they need to vote, and to share with them why I’m supporting Kamala Harris and Tim Walz.”
The true-blue state of Maryland doesn’t present much of a contest for Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee, as she runs for president against former President Donald Trump, the GOP nominee. But Democrats and Republicans alike want to make a difference in the election, so they’re leveraging their location to help out just a few miles north.
Lierman isn’t the only Marylander politicking in Pennsylvania lately. Gov. Wes Moore has spent time stumping for Harris in several battleground states, including Pennsylvania, and local activists are organizing bus trips northbound.
Republicans who live close to the Pennsylvania border have been out working north of the border for Trump as well.
“We have been facilitating contact between the ground game in Pennsylvania and those interested in assisting up there as far as rallies, door to door, phone calls, etc.,” said Jeff McBride, chairman of the Republican Central Committee of Harford County, in an email to the Capital News Service.
Harford County borders Pennsylvania and has consistently voted Republican, according to CNS analysis of the past 50 years of presidential elections.
“Some are working directly with the arm of the Trump campaign that focuses on swing-state deployment,” McBride said. “Others are teaming with local central committees in all areas of Pennsylvania, from Lancaster, Oxford, York, Hanover and as far as Pittsburgh.”
For the Harris campaign, the Democratic National Committee hosted several trips from Maryland to Pennsylvania over the weekend.
When people canvass in swing states they add a greater number of people to get out the vote efforts – a tactic that is more personal and may be more effective.
“Generally speaking, in-person contacts are the most effective means of outreach and get-out-the-vote efforts,” said Candace Turitto, a political scientist at the University of Maryland.
She thinks prominent political officials can impress potential voters.
“It would certainly stand out to me if a prominent governor or senator knocked on my door and personally asked me to vote,” said Turitto.
Pennsylvania is one of the key swing states both parties hope to win. The Keystone State helped Trump win in 2016 and Preisdent Joe Biden in 2020. Both 2024 presidential candidates held rallies there over the weekend.
For Lierman, the work is about being active instead of anxious. She said she has always loved knocking on doors and helping with efforts to get out the vote.
“At the end of the day,” said Lierman, “we’ve got to run through the tape and leave no stone unturned to preserve our democracy, support women and our health and ensure we’re creating economic opportunity for all.”