LITITZ, Pennsylvania — Ben Fickel said he happily got up early Sunday morning and drove the 90 minutes from his home in Cumberland County to this Lancaster County borough to attend his first political rally since turning 18 in May. It was, in fact, his first rally ever.
The accounting and finance major at Shippensburg University was there to see former President Donald Trump make his final pitch to voters in Pennsylvania ahead of Tuesday’s election.
“This is my first election that I’m able to vote in, so I wanted to get involved as much as I could and educate myself on what happens. I support Trump and his policies and the way he goes about things,” said Fickel, who said he was also there to support his local congressman, Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA), and Army veteran Dave McCormick, Republican Senate nominee.
Fickel was all smiles about the experience. He said that despite going to the event alone, he “never felt alone” and instead felt part of a community and something bigger than himself. His explanations of why he chose Trump center heavily on the economy.
“It is extremely difficult to live at my age and grow a life for yourself with the current economy,” he said.
Fickel said he did not cast an early vote because he wanted to have the experience of doing it in person: “I cannot wait for Tuesday morning.”
In Harrisburg on Monday morning, Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA) was with actor Robert DeNiro stumping for Vice President Kamala Harris, who will be holding a concert with pop star Katy Perry, rapper D-Nice, and singer-songwriter Andra Day for an event listed to run from 5 to 10 p.m. However, it was unclear exactly when Harris would appear.
In the collar counties outside of Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, the Mighty American Strike Force, a sizable group of volunteers from red states where Trump is far ahead, was deploying its teams to remind voters to get out the vote Tuesday in the smaller counties where Trump needs to drive up the margins.
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On Monday night, Trump will be in Pittsburgh for a rally at PPG Paints Arena, where the Pittsburgh Penguins play. News personality Megyn Kelly announced that day that she would do something quite out of the ordinary and give a speech at that rally.
Heading into tomorrow’s election, Gallup metrics tracking the nation’s mood continue to show voters feeling negatively in October about the economy, the direction of the country, and President Joe Biden’s job performance. Polls are essentially tied in Pennsylvania, with Trump holding a slight edge — a number that has not budged in two weeks.