Staff Reports
The Trump campaign just delivered a blow to Democrat hopes of thinning out Republican voter turnout, trouncing Bucks County, Pennsylvania, in a court case that would make any legal thriller blush. With early voting now extended by three days, Democrats might want to hide under their desks and clutch their “Vote Blue” mugs tightly.
The lawsuit filed by Trump’s campaign was a response to heart-wrenching footage of supporters facing the dread of being turned away at polling places, despite being in line just before the 5:00 PM cutoff. While Pennsylvania had initially decided that early voters would be cut off on October 29, thanks to the judge’s ruling, voters can now cast their ballots until November 1. Nothing like extending the fun and games for the GOP.
I spoke to a former party official a while back who told me that the biggest problem in 2020 was not having poll watchers and lawyers on standby ready to call bs and file suits immediately. Since, the party has adjusted to do such and it appears to be paying off. https://t.co/geFoq1Qepj
— Reagan Reese (@reaganreese_) October 30, 2024
RNC Chairman Michael Whatley didn’t just break the news through a dreary press release; instead, he took to X, exclaiming that the GOP would keep fighting the good fight and urged voters to remain steadfast in their lines. It was a call to arms, or rather, to ballots, to ensure that the Republican base could crank up the volume of early voter turnout. With three extra days in play, that sounds like an invitation for Trump supporters to flood the polls.
In what has become the latest twist in the saga of election integrity, the RNC is preparing for 2024 with a battalion of lawyers ready to tackle any questionable election shenanigans. Having learned from the chaos of 2020, they appear dead-set on ensuring that such farces don’t repeat themselves. This win means that the clock is still ticking favorably for Republicans to ramp up their early voting participation in a state that is predicted to be nail-bitingly close.
Polling numbers paint a picture where Trump edges out Harris by just a smidgen, making Pennsylvania a quintessential battleground. The stakes are alarmingly high for Democrats. In spite of retaining a slight vote lead, the numbers are significantly less formidable than what they faced in the last election cycle. And as for early voting statistics, Republicans in Pennsylvania have already made headway by outpacing their rivals in early votes — a first since this voting method was rolled out.
As the dust settles on this decisive victory, it becomes clear that the extra time could embolden Republicans to tighten their grip on the voting scene in Pennsylvania. With the looming specter of decreased turnout from Philadelphia, the Democrats may very well find themselves out in the cold as they navigate this treacherous election season. The extended early voting, undoubtedly, shifts the momentum in Trump’s favor, and who knows? Pennsylvania’s 19 Electoral College votes could yet slip right back into GOP hands once again.
