A significant number of voters in Western Pennsylvania are switching from Democrat to Republican ahead of the 2022 midterms, but questions remain on whether the moves will translate into victory for the GOP in the Keystone State.
From Jan. 1 to July 25, more than 8,100 Democrats changed their voter registration to Republican in Allegheny County and the adjacent Armstrong, Butler, Beaver, Washington and Westmoreland counties, according to Pennsylvania Department of State data, the Pittburgh Post-Gazette reported.
Less than a third of that number, 2,500, changed in the opposite direction. Republicans have also been able to persuade independents and third-party registrants to switch, the paper reported.
This is a statewide trend that’s seen upward of 38,000 Democrats switch parties this year, while only about 12,000 former Republicans are now Democrats, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported.
Democrats still hold a registration advantage statewide and say that new GOP registrants who had already been voting for Republicans for years are just now making the switch official.
In Washington County, 906 Democrats have changed their registration to Republican this year, while just 173 went from Republican to Democrat.
Dave Ball, chair of the Washington County Republican Party, said many voters who were lifelong Democrats because their parents were Democrats now realize that their values align more with the GOP.
Under President Joe Biden, a lot of people "don’t like what they see," he says, with the economy nearing recession, high inflation, and illegal immigration, for example. Democrats have shifted left on social issues, alienating some voters.
In Allegheny County, more than 3,700 Democrats have converted to Republican this year, according to state data. That’s more than double the 1,577 former Republicans who have become Democrats.
Sam DeMarco, chair of the Republican Committee of Allegheny County, said it’s indicative of how far left he thinks the Democratic Party has moved.
"I would like to thank the Democratic Party and their failed policies for helping drive longtime Democrat voters to the Republican Party," said DeMarco, who also sits on Allegheny County Council.
But Bethany Hallam, a progressive Democrat who serves as an at-large Allegheny County councilwoman, said it’s not Democrats who are too radical but Republicans. Outlawing abortion, defunding education, and denying climate change is radical, she said — and Democrats need to respond by being the party of working people and common-sense solutions.
She also said it’s apparent that people have been voting against their own party for years and just haven’t changed their registrations. That’s what’s happening here, she said.
"I don’t believe we will see actual voting trends changing," Hallam said. "The registration trends are changing to match how people have been voting for years."
Statewide, Democrats are leading in the polls. In Pennsylvania's Senate race, Democrat candidate John Fetterman is leading Republican Dr. Mehmet Oz by 11 points, according to a new Fox News poll.
The poll found that Fetterman is backed by 47% of registered Pennsylvania voters surveyed, while the celebrity doctor has the support of 36% of voters.
And Democrat Josh Shapiro is beating Republican state Sen. Doug Mastriano in the Pennsylvania gubernatorial contest 50% to 40%.