‘If We Don’t Win, It’s All Over’: Battleground Pennsylvania Voters Embrace Decisive Role

PITTSBURGH—With the nation’s eyes fixed particularly on Pennsylvania for Tuesday’s election, Victory Road seemed a fitting location for residents anticipating the outcome. 

One of the street’s residents, Nancy Roderick, 89, said the stakes are high.

“I think if we don’t win this time, it’s all over,” Roderick, a resident in the North Hills suburbs of Pittsburgh, told The Daily Signal. 

She plans to vote for former President Donald Trump and Republican U.S. Senate candidate David McCormick, who is challenging three-term Democratic Sen. Bob Casey Jr.

“The three houses down here are Republican, but those others have Harris signs,” she noted of her other Victory Road neighbors. 

In the RealClearPolitics average of polls, Trump has a 0.4% lead over Vice President Kamala Harris in the Keystone State. But at least five Pennsylvania polls completed in October—including the most recent—show an actual tie between the two. 

In the Senate race, Casey holds a slim 2.4% lead over McCormick in the RealClearPolitics average, though two recent polls show the race is tied. 

Roderick—the octogenarian who said she hasn’t missed an election since casting her first ballot as a senior at Chatham University in Pittsburgh—doesn’t want to vote early. 

“I always vote on Election Day,” Roderick asserted. 

She spoke with The Daily Signal after inviting Emily Greene, AFP Action’s Pennsylvania state director, to her home. AFP Action is the advocacy arm of the conservative Americans for Prosperity.

Greene passed out McCormick campaign flyers to those who answered their doors or left the flyers on the doorknob for those who weren’t home. 

She coordinates the 230 door-knockers in the state. The previous Tuesday–one week before Election Day–AFP Action reached a milestone of knocking on its 1 millionth door.  

“We go door to door and try to cut through the noise,” Greene told The Daily Signal. “People are bombarded with political ads and tune them out.”

AFP Action focuses on persuadable voters, as well as trying to ensure that Republicans turn out and are aware of the Senate race. The door-knockers use a cellphone app that lists the residents’ address, party registration, and even if he or she is a likely conservative based on past participation. It also shows if the resident has already returned a mail ballot. 

During her door-knocking rounds, Greene also hit Ryland Drive, a short distance from Victory Road. There, David Nelle, 54, was outside of his garage while blowing away leaves in the yard. 

“The economy is a train wreck, and crime is high. I’ve had to fire people just to have enough money in the budget to hire additional security,” Nelle told The Daily Signal after setting down the leaf blower. “We can’t have a good economy without restoring safety.” 

That’s not his only concern, as he said he is voting for all Republicans.

“My daughter got a full-ride scholarship for sports, and I don’t want her competing against college boys,” he added. 

Even with the app that had voter data, there were some surprises. One of the homes on Ryland Drive, listed as the residence of a Republican, had a Harris-Walz sign and a “Jesus 2024” sign. The resident didn’t answer the door.

Greene noted she’s encountered split-ticket voters. 

“If Harris is elected, AFP Action wants to make sure there is a firewall to stop progressive, dangerous ideas,” Greene said. “She’ll push for eliminating the Senate filibuster and for D.C. statehood.” 

After seeing a Harris sign on the lawn of another registered Republican on Victory Road, Greene still knocked on the door. The Victory Road resident said he wasn’t planning to vote for McCormick. 

When Greene asked if he was a Republican, he replied, “Recent events have changed my perspective.”

Another registered Republican on Victory Road wasn’t enamored of his role as a swing-state voter and potential to shift the Electoral College. 

He voted for Libertarian presidential candidate Chase Oliver, and for other third-party candidates. 

“I’m a registered Republican, and I lean right,” said the 31-year-old who shared his name with The Daily Signal but asked that it not be published. “Both parties have a problem. I voted Libertarian. That’s not a good long-term solution. But, if you want to cut out the fat, we are in a mess.”

Asked if he’s worried about wasting his vote, he replied, “The problem is that we always accept it as it is because we don’t want the other side to win, and nothing ever changes.”

The flyers say on one side, “Dave McCormick—U.S. Senate—will put party politics aside to deliver solutions,” with color photos of McCormick. On the flip side is a black-and-white photo of Casey standing in front of the U.S. Capitol, with the caption: “Bob Casey has failed Pennsylvania.” 

On Ryland Drive, Greene went to the door of a registered Republican that data showed leaned conservative. Unfortunately, the stack of flyers she held showed Casey’s face. When the Republican resident opened the door to see a flier with Casey’s face, he said, “I’m not interested in seeing him,” and closed the door. 

Susan Nightingale, 81, also on Ryland Drive, had already voted. 

“The biggest issue is just anti-Harris. Keep her out,” Nightingale told The Daily Signal. 

She appreciated the huge role Pennsylvania could play in who wins the White House and possibly who controls the Senate. 

“It’s amazing that Pennsylvania is getting so much attention,” Nightingale said. “I think Pennsylvanians can overall see what is going on now needs to stop. They [the Biden-Harris administration] didn’t finish the border fence. It’s a shame they are just letting that fence material lie there and waste.”