Former Presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump visit Pennsylvania to rally voters days before mid-term election

Hannah Shiflett, Reporter

In the last few days before the night of the election, two former presidents appeared in PA to rally support.

Former President Barack Obama appeared to support Democratic Nominees John Fetterman for US Senate and Josh Shapiro for PA Governor. Former president Donald Trump has also made an appearance to support Mehmet Oz for Senate and Doug Mastriano for Governor.

The showing of these two former presidents is a statement of how crucial Pennsylvania has become.

Currently, both political parties need to grab two seats to gain full control of the Senate. For republicans, the gubernatorial races are also a focus of attention where the decisions of elections and access to abortion are.

In recent elections, Pennsylvania has become a critical state in deciding who gains control of the government. In 2016, the state voted for Republican President Donald Trump, and in 2020 the commonwealth voted for current democratic president Joe Biden. The state is ultimately considered a swing state and has made it a battleground for political parties.

In the 2020 presidential election, it took 4 days post the night of the election to count all of the votes in Pennsylvania before declaring a winner. In 2016 only 61% of eligible voters voted compared to a whopping 70.93% of voter turnout in 2020.

With the overturning of Roe v. Wade and the increase in election deniers, both political parties have been stating that this mid-term is one of the most important ones in history.

Currently, the Pennsylvania Senate race is being called the most expensive race in modern campaign history. As for the gubernatorial race, it is also being watched due to the connections of the Republican nominee, Doug Mastriano, possibly having ties to the January 6th insurrection.

This year, Pennsylvania will once again be a state for the country to watch out for. The deciding factor of who will win will be influenced by PA voters once again.