How Taylor Swift’s Hometown Could Help Decide the 2024 Presidential Election

If you drive northwest from Philadelphia, you can’t shake it off that they have entered Trump country.

The motorway is filled with homemade Donald Trump signs, while an electric billboard displays the name of the Republican presidential candidate.

But if you go to Reading and Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, you suddenly see signs all over town that say Kamala Harris.

There are neighbors with warring yard signs, supporters of the vice president living right next door to those who support the former Republican president, whose political leanings are openly displayed.

The state is seen as the biggest battleground in 2024 with 19 electoral votes up for grabs, and Berks County could also be on the line. It also happens to be the birthplace of superstar Taylor Swift.

The 34-year-old megastar was born in West Reading and lived in the area her entire childhood, first moving to Wyomissing and then moving to Tennessee as a teenager to pursue her music career.

Swift’s upbringing in eastern Pennsylvania has inspired or informed some of her biggest hits. Now, her hometown could play a major role in determining the country’s future this November.

Berks County has been colored red several times in presidential elections, but the entire election will likely take place in Pennsylvania. nothing new.

President Obama won Berks County in 2008 by nearly 16,000 votes, before it became a state. problem for Democrats.

Trump won the 2020 election by just over 16,000 votes, a slightly smaller margin than the nearly 18,000 votes with which he won the election in 2016. Mitt Romney won by fewer than 1,000 votes in 2012.

But in the midterm elections, voters were willing to split their votes to elect Democrat Josh Shapiro as governor by about 6,500 votes, while Republican candidate Mehmet Oz won the county in the Senate race by 6,600 votes, giving some pause. everything has changed and the county is more chestnut brown.

Now that August has passed and with campaign season in full swing, DailyMail.com found that people in Swift’s hometown are paying close attention, given the swing state reputation.

Several voters said they try not to cause problems bad blood with the people around them and have even chosen not to talk about politics at all.

One woman told DailyMail.com that she is the only Democrat in her Republican constituency and is uncomfortable talking about her support for Harris.

But she also admitted that Pennsylvania’s rejection of Trump was her fault. wildest dream.

But there were others fearless in sharing their thoughts about the delicate subject of politics on a Delicious autumn afternoon, where you can only hear a favorite old vest to keep warm.

Tanja Carlisle of Reading is a Democrat who will vote for Harris in November.

She appreciates what the vice president said about addressing rising grocery prices, helping first-time home buyers, border security, negotiating Medicare drug prices and allowing women to make their own choices “when it comes to their own bodies.”

Carlisle said she thinks people in the community are paying attention now more than ever, with democracy on the line.

“I just think Kamala is the best candidate for 2024,” Carlisle said.

Renee Riddle agreed. She said she doesn’t want to see the US ever get back together with Trump.

“I think he only cares about the rich and not so much about what happens to everyone else,” Riddle explained.

For her, women’s rights and protecting health insurance are the most important issues.

But Wyomissing Rep. James Van Buren said the ex-president is his man.

“I think Donald Trump has a good track record for what he’s done and what he stands for,” he told DailyMail.com.

“I don’t know if I’ve heard much about what Kamala Harris is going to do and what she actually did when she was vice president,” he added.

For Van Buren, the economy and immigration are the most important themes.

“I don’t believe they’ve done anything they’re legally obligated to do in securing our border,” he said of the Biden administration.

While polls only show a moment in timeThe latest figures show that neither candidate out of the forest in the Keystone State. The Real Clear Politics average has each candidate tied at 47 percent.

Since Harry Truman in 1948, no Democrat has won the White House without Pennsylvania.

Ad spend shows that both campaigns are successful too good it’s going to be a cruel final sprint in the state.

Democrats have already set aside $75 million for advertising in Pennsylvania for the final two months before Nov. 5.

According to data from AdImpact, Republicans have $68 million in reservations. Of all the swing states, this state spends the most on advertising.

But while Berks County voters may not agree on who should top the ticket this fall, they do agree on one thing: Swift is untouchable as she voices her support in the highly contested presidential race.

The singer announced on social media on Tuesday that she is supporting the vice president for president.

“I will be voting for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 presidential election,” she wrote.

She noted, “I’ve done my research and I’ve made my choice. Your research is entirely yours to do and the choice is yours to make.”

Swift captioned her post, “Childless Cat Lady.”