This election is full of surprises. But this could seal the deal.
Because Trump scored a massive victory that left Kamala Harris trembling.
The tides are turning in Philadelphia, where working-class Democrats are increasingly shifting their support to former President Trump.
Despite being a historically blue stronghold, the city’s poorer wards and districts are now eyeing a change, and it’s not hard to see why.
A recent report from The Philadelphia Inquirer highlighted this growing trend, with many lifelong Democrats fed up with the failed policies of their party and eager to embrace Trump’s proven track record.
Take Gabriel Lopez, a 27-year-old who initially voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016 as a registered Democrat. But Lopez, like many others, has seen the light, switching his registration to Republican and becoming an enthusiastic Trump supporter.
“Democrats keep saying [Trump] is going to bring down the economy, but he was already president for four years, and taxes were lower,” Lopez pointed out. “We’re tired of the same politics. We got a different type of guy, and the people actually love him.”
Lopez’s sentiment is far from an isolated case. As the article explained, working-class voters in Philadelphia—once a reliable voting bloc for Democrats—have been steadily moving to the right.
The reason? The skyrocketing costs and economic struggles that have hit these communities the hardest, and many rightly blame the Democrats for it. With inflation running rampant and everyday expenses ballooning, who can blame them?
Philadelphia, which houses 20% of the state’s Democratic voters, saw the biggest exodus of Democrats in the 2020 election, a clear sign of dissatisfaction. This shift was most prominent in majority-Latino neighborhoods and poorer, less-educated areas, where voters are more concerned about the economy than hollow promises from Washington.
Jim Kohn, a retired truck driver and registered Democrat, laid it out plainly. “When Trump was president, everything was cheaper,” Kohn said. “Now, everything is so sky-high.” Kohn isn’t alone—working-class families remember the better days under Trump, when jobs were up, taxes were down, and life was more affordable.
On the flip side, while some Democrats cling to hope for Vice President Kamala Harris, others acknowledge the growing support for Trump. Álvarez Febo, a Democrat still planning to vote for Harris, even understands why Trump resonates with so many.
“We’re not trustful of the government,” Febo admitted. “Then you have someone like Trump, who is a liar, and for some people, it’s like, ‘you know something? He’s an honest representation of what we feel.’”
Even Febo knows the real issue for many is survival. “They’re saying Kamala is going to save our democracy,” Febo added, “but that means very little for people who can’t keep the lights on.”
Republicans, meanwhile, are seeing the writing on the wall and are optimistic about this potential political shift.
Charlie O’Connor, the GOP leader for the 45th Ward, sees the Democratic Party morphing into the party of the upper middle class, leaving behind the very people it claims to represent.
“The Democratic Party has become the party of the upper middle class,” O’Connor said. “Most of the bosses are Democrats, and no one is voting the way their boss is.”
Pennsylvania remains one of the most competitive battleground states, and Trump’s message is resonating where it counts. A recent Fox News poll shows Trump and Harris neck and neck at 49% among likely voters in the state.
Trump won Pennsylvania in 2016, and with the growing disillusionment of working-class Democrats, it looks like he’s well-positioned to make it happen again.
Stay tuned to Prudent Politics.
