Pennsylvaniaone of the seven so-called “hinge” states during these American elections and the fifth most populous in the country, was decisive tip the scales in favor of Donald Trump and make the Republican candidate the 47th President of the United States.
In the fight between Trump and Kamala Harris to occupy the White House, the state of the country’s former industrial belt, where the independence of the United States was declared in 1776, became during the election campaign the most coveted of all Swing States in dispute due to its large number of electoral delegates: a total of 19.
Like in the award-winning 80s film, only witnessthe policeman masterfully played by Harrison Ford wins the trust of Samuel, a boy from the community Amish who witnessed a brutal crime, Trump managed to connect with this minority strong religious beliefs to abandon one’s traditional disengagement from politics and, for the first time, actively mobilized during the elections.
The Republican became the “only witness” in Pennsylvania. Won victory in key state with a wider result than expected, thanks a lot, to the Amish votewhich ultimately helped him add 19 valuable delegates.
The Amish put aside their apolitical stance and, on this occasion, they went to the polls en masse. His contribution was vital in breaking the technical link between Trump and Harris that all the polls had predicted in this state of affairs. democratic tradition.
The fact that the Amish went to vote on November 5, 2024 is largely responsible for the “Early voting actiona group of conservatives founded in 2023 who made this community get actively involved in the elections.
According to The economistScott Pressler, founder of this group, led an intense campaign to demand the vote of the religious group through a door to door campaign at farmers markets and Amish workshops in Lancastera county in southeastern Pennsylvania that is home to one of the largest Amish communities in the United States. Around 90,000 according to a report from Elizabethtown College.
The Amish vote, key to Trump’s electoral victory in Pennsylvania.
The “Amos Miller case”
A crucial episode in the mobilization of the Pennsylvania Amish in favor of Trump was undoubtedly the “Amos Miller Affair”a farmer from the Amish community whom the Department of Agriculture of this territory has appointed a raid earlier this year. Authorities confiscated $100,000 worth of food after he was accused of raw dairy products left their farm caused outbreaks of E. coli in Michigan and New York.
The Amish community rallied behind Amos Miller. Their case is not isolated, however, since many of its members believe that the democratic authorities are harassing them because of their way of living, of producing, of treating animals and, ultimately, of being who they are.
So Trump’s speech against “excessive bureaucracy” And “Government restrictions” was able to have a profound impact on this community thanks to conservative groups that attempted to mobilize the Amish. Additionally, most Amish-run businesses appeal to the president-elect’s economic policies that benefit small business owners.
It is also no coincidence that last November 3just two days before the crucial election day in the United States, asset went to the county of Lancaster, stronghold of the Amish community in Pennsylvaniato ask for their vote and attack the polls which predicted a balanced duel with his Democratic rival. In fact, both candidates visited this state more than any other during their respective election campaigns.
The Lancaster Amish community has been key for Trump according to election data prior to 2024. Between 2016 and 2020, the number of registered voters among members of this community in this county doubled, exceeding 4,000, according to The economist. Among these registered voters, more than 90% are registered Republicans.
Pennsylvania, reflection of social polarization
The Amish vote was not only instrumental in Trump’s ability to defeat Harris in Pennsylvania, probably the most important state of those at stake in this election. Also the Hispanic vote was fundamentalgiven that the state has doubled the Latino population in two decades to 620,000 registered voters, but the national trend of those votes has been a huge and marked shift toward Republicans.
On the other hand, the majority of Pennsylvania Evangelical Community He also had a lot to say during these elections. Their vote was virtually decided before they cast it, and although no candidate names were heard in their churches, parishioners knew that when pastors talked about the importance of the vote, they really meant: “Do it for Trump.”
Pennsylvania is clearly a reflection of the social polarization of the United States. Most of the state’s heavy industry – primarily steel and coal – closed in the 1980s, leaving thousands of families unemployed and dozens of former workers mired in a debt spiral. , aggravated by drug addiction.
More than four decades later, Pennsylvania retains part of the steel sector in the Pittsburgh region, but it has diversified into an economy based on health services, chemical production, natural gas extraction, gigantic logistics centers for companies like Amazon or Walmart, fruit growing and dairy products.
