{"id":2357359,"date":"2024-10-21T06:01:01","date_gmt":"2024-10-21T10:01:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/election-2024-here-are-the-issues-pennsylvania-voters-care-the-most-about-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-10-21T06:03:23","modified_gmt":"2024-10-21T10:03:23","slug":"election-2024-here-are-the-issues-pennsylvania-voters-care-the-most-about-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/election-2024-here-are-the-issues-pennsylvania-voters-care-the-most-about-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Election 2024: Here are the issues Pennsylvania voters care the most about &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Felection-2024-here-are-the-issues-pennsylvania-voters-care-the-most-about-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2357359&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article discusses the key issues\u200c that Pennsylvania voters prioritize as they prepare for the 2024 presidential \u200delection.\u2064 Historically a \u2062battleground state, Pennsylvania has fluctuated\u200c between Democratic and Republican leadership in\u2064 recent \u200belections. The Washington Examiner emphasizes\u2064 five critical \u2063topics: crime, \u2063social security, abortion, the economy, \u200dand immigration. <\/p>\n<p>1. **Crime**: Despite \u200da general decline in crime rates in the state from 2013 to 2022, \u2063crime remains the top concern for voters, influenced by recent spikes in specific \u2062offenses like murder and theft.<\/p>\n<p>2. \u200c**Social Security**: This\u2064 issue is particularly salient for the state&#8217;s senior population, many of \u2063whom\u200d are apprehensive about\u2063 potential cuts to social security, especially \u200bfollowing \u2062comments made by former President Donald Trump during his campaign.<\/p>\n<p>3. **Abortion**: With \u200babortion laws allowing\u200b the \u200dprocedure up to 23 weeks and stipulating conditions\u200b for minors, reproductive \u2063health is the third most\u2064 important\u2062 issue,\u200d reflecting broader national debates on the subject.<\/p>\n<p>4. **Economy**: Economic worries are highlighted by Pennsylvania&#8217;s unemployment rate, \u200bwhich has \u2064been consistently above the national \u200baverage, despite recent \u200dgrowth in key \u200dsectors like \u2062mining and \u2063manufacturing.<\/p>\n<p>5. **Immigration**: Specific details on immigration \u2062concerns are \u2064less \u200celaborated, but it is listed among the top issues influencing voters \u2062as the election approaches.<\/p>\n<p>these findings illustrate\u2064 how \u2063voters in Pennsylvania are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/republican-bill-johnson-becomes-32nd-house-member-not-seeking-reelection-in-2024\/\" title=\"Republican Bill Johnson becomes 32nd House member not seeking reelection in 2024\">navigating complex issues<\/a> as they prepare to make their choices in the upcoming election.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Election 2024: Here are the issues Pennsylvania voters care the most about<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1838677\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/pennsylvania\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Pennsylvania<\/a> is one of the three &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/harris-triples-down-on-republican-outreach-with-liz-cheney-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Harris triples down on Republican outreach with Liz Cheney - Washington Examiner\">blue wall states&#038;rdquo<\/a>; and voted blue from 1992 to 2012. Former President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Donald Trump<\/a> took the state in 2016 by 0.7%, but President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/joe-biden\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Joe Biden<\/a> won the Keystone State&rsquo;s 19 Electoral College votes by 1.2%. It is one of the most keenly contested battleground states.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>The <em>Washington Examiner <\/em>is following the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/newt-gingrich-after-midterm-election-the-challenges-facing-democrats-and-republicans\/\" title=\"Newt Gingrich: After Midterm Election, the Challenges Facing Democrats and Republicans\">key issues voters care<\/a> about as they prepare to vote for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/2024-elections\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>next president<\/a> of the United States. The specific issues being tracked are social security, crime, abortion, economy, and immigration.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The issues were chosen with the help of the <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/projects\/election-results-2024\/google-trends\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title><em>Associated Press <\/em>issues tracker<\/a>. The <em>Washington Examiner <\/em>subsequently compared five of the key issues in Google Trends on a state-by-state basis, revealing which are most important to voters in swing contests.<\/p>\n<p>Here, you can track how important these various concerns are to the voters in Pennsylvania on a rolling 30-day basis.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/ssl.gstatic.com\/trends_nrtr\/3826_RC01\/embed_loader.js\"><\/script> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> trends.embed.renderExploreWidget(\"TIMESERIES\", {\"comparisonItem\":[{\"keyword\":\"abortion\",\"geo\":\"US-PA\",\"time\":\"today 1-m\"},{\"keyword\":\"immigration\",\"geo\":\"US-PA\",\"time\":\"today 1-m\"},{\"keyword\":\"economy\",\"geo\":\"US-PA\",\"time\":\"today 1-m\"},{\"keyword\":\"crime\",\"geo\":\"US-PA\",\"time\":\"today 1-m\"},{\"keyword\":\"social security\",\"geo\":\"US-PA\",\"time\":\"today 1-m\"}],\"category\":0,\"property\":\"\"}, {\"exploreQuery\":\"date=today%201-m&geo=US-PA&q=abortion,immigration,economy,crime,social%20security&hl=en\",\"guestPath\":\"https:\/\/trends.google.com:443\/trends\/embed\/\"}); <\/script> <\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Crime<\/h2>\n<p>Crime was the No. 1 issue for Pennsylvania voters despite crime rates largely decreasing. In 2023, the Pennsylvania State Police&rsquo;s Uniform Crime Reporting program <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pccd.pa.gov\/Justice-Research\/Documents\/10Year%20PA%20Crime%20Trends.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>reported<\/a> steep drops in crime from 2013 to 2022, although crime rose slightly between 2020 and 2022.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>In 2022, there were 677,138 criminal offenses throughout the state, which is a 24.3% decrease from 2013.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Crimes that have dropped over the last decade yet still risen following the pandemic are larceny, theft, and burglary. However, murder\/manslaughter, sex offenses, fraud, and motor vehicle theft have only risen since 2013, with murder rates being the most jarring at a 76.9% increase. Drug sales, drug possession, vandalism, and DUI offenses have all fallen since the pandemic in 2020.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Social Security<\/h2>\n<p>Social security is also toward the top of the list when it comes to trends, coming in at second place. The state has been a battlefront for social security problems this election cycle, with the <em>Pennsylvania Capital-Star <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/penncapital-star.com\/government-politics\/seniors-in-pennsylvania-are-concerned-about-social-security-following-trumps-comments\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>reporting<\/a> that seniors across the state were concerned about potential social security cuts following comments from Trump on the campaign trail.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>In March 2024, some residents were alarmed following Trump&rsquo;s interview on CNBC&rsquo;s <em>Squawk Box<\/em>, where he said, &ldquo;There is a lot you can do in terms of entitlements, in terms of cutting, and in terms of also the theft and the bad management of entitlements.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Regardless of the vague nature of Trump&rsquo;s statement, Biden mobilized his campaign and began informing voters of what social security cuts could mean for them. In Pennsylvania, 20% of the population is 65 or older equating to over 2 million residents relying on its benefits.<\/p>\n<p>Prior to any comments from Trump, social security was still a focus for Democrats. Biden stated in his State of the Union address on March 7, &ldquo;If anyone here tried to cut Social Security or Medicare, or raise the retirement age, I will stop you.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Abortion<\/h2>\n<p>Reproductive health was the third issue for Pennsylvanians, and the state has the procedure <a href=\"https:\/\/www.governor.pa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/20220712-EO-2022-01.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>protected<\/a> through the 23rd week of pregnancy. After 23 weeks, abortion is only permitted to save the life of the mother. The state requires pre-procedure testing and counseling with proof of counseling sessions provided within 24 hours of the procedure. Parental or guardian consent is required for minors who do not seek a judicial bypass.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Pennsylvania offers statistics relevant to the mortality rate of abortions nationally, listing that from 2013 to 2018, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/mmwr\/volumes\/70\/ss\/ss7009a1.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>fatality rate<\/a> from abortions was 0.41 per 100,000 in comparison to the maternal<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/nchs\/data\/hestat\/maternal-mortality\/2020\/maternal-mortality-rates-2020.htm#:~:text=The%20maternal%20mortality%20rate%20for,20.1%20in%202019%20(Table)(opens%20in%20a%20new%20tab).\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title> mortality rate<\/a> in 2020 being 23.8 per 100,000.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Economy<\/h2>\n<p>Economic concerns were second-to-last for Pennsylvania voters. The unemployment rate in the state has been roughly one percent more than the national average, with the rate coming in at 3.4% in Nov. 2023, <a href=\"https:\/\/usafacts.org\/topics\/economy\/state\/pennsylvania\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>according<\/a> to the Bureaus of Labor Statistics and Economic Analysis.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Pennsylvania is experiencing economic growth, with a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/texas-leads-us-in-job-growth-again\/\" title=\"Once more, Texas takes the lead in job growth across the United States\">gross domestic product growing<\/a> at 5.6% and amounting to $974.9 billion, placing the economy 14th in the state for growth in 2023.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Mining and gas extraction in Pennsylvania saw a GDP growth of 10.6% last year as well as manufacturing growing 10%. Wholesale trade and real estate both saw growth rates of 3%. Educational services was one of the few industries to take a hit, falling 5.6%.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Immigration<strong>&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Immigration was the least pressing issue to voters in Pennsylvania. About 7.7% of the state&rsquo;s population are immigrants &mdash; roughly one million people. Immigrants make up 9.7% of the state&rsquo;s workforce, while being 13.4% of Pennsylvania&rsquo;s entrepreneurs and 16.7% of STEM workers, <a href=\"https:\/\/map.americanimmigrationcouncil.org\/locations\/pennsylvania\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>according<\/a> to the <em>American Immigration Council.&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Immigrants paid $13.1 billion in taxes in 2022 and had a collective spending power of $34.2 billion. There were 70,200 immigrant businesses that saw a total business income of $2 billion.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Immigrants in Pennsylvania are significantly more likely to hold graduate degrees, with the top occupations for immigrant workers being physical scientists, agricultural workers, teachers, and physicians. There are 48,593 international students in the state, and they contributed $2 billion to the economy in 2022.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The top countries of origin for Pennsylvania immigrants are the Dominican Republic, India, China, Mexico and Vietnam. Of all the immigrants in the state, 56.1% are naturalized, 153,300 are eligible for naturalization, and 15.5% of immigrants are undocumented.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1838677\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1838677\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Election 2024: Key issues for Pennsylvania voters<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3427,"featured_media":2357360,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/AP19330728633541.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[34059,32457,40422,33017,32076],"class_list":["post-2357359","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner","tag-election-2024","tag-key-issues","tag-pennsylvania-voters","tag-political-analysis","tag-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/AP19330728633541.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2357359","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3427"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2357359"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2357359\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2357360"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2357359"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2357359"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2357359"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}