Blast furnace of the former Bethlehem Steel Mill They are the embodiment of what is called in the United States rust beltFrom that unbroken chain of iron structures, now rusted but still standing, came the steel with which, for example, the Chrysler Building in New York or the Golden Gate in San Francisco were built. a huge Testament to the industrial splendor of this corner of PennsylvaniaDecisive situation in this year’s presidential election.
in that electoral battle Northampton CountyWhere the city of Bethlehem and the old steel mill are located have considerable symbolic value: as well as eriOn the other side of the state, This has been the only county where the winning candidate in recent years has always coincided with the winner of the state and, therefore, presidential elections.Additionally, in 2020, it was the county with the smallest percentage difference between Joe Biden and Donald Trump, just seven tenths. You could say that, for a few years now, whoever wins in Northampton – and in Erie – wins in Pennsylvania.
And the economy weighs in on voters’ minds, as it always has. prosperous area: is part of Bethlehem lehigh valley suburbsAn area with strong industrial roots that stretched from Allentown in the west to Easton and even Phillipsburg, already in New Jersey, in the east. “Although we no longer have heavy industry, we now have health and educational services,” said John K., 81, a volunteer guide and professor emeritus of graphic design at Kutztown University. Landis, now converted into a steel mill for tours, emphasizes tourist attractions.
After closing with the last group of tourists on Saturday, Landis told RTVE.es that, in his opinion, Pennsylvania’s economy is on the right track. “Wages are rising, employment is improving and inflation, which has been a problem in recent times, is falling,” he argues, while in order to adequately manage this growth, he is at the White House. Let’s consider only one candidate: “Kamala Harris, without a doubt.”
Publicist Glenn Geisinger, however, disagrees and believes that the Democrats have abandoned the working class: “They used to be very blue collar, but they’ve stopped caring about workers. Donald Trump, in 2016, with American workers “We are going to be focused on protecting American jobs, protecting Americans.”
Geisinger, 59, heads the Northampton Republican Committee and notes that Harris doesn’t have the ability to attract activists that Biden has demonstrated: “Harris is a liberal from California and Biden was a liberal from Pennsylvania (where she was born) and Delaware (where she lives),” she stressed, confident that both Northampton and Pennsylvania will swing again this year, just like in 2016. Will turn red.
It’s true, something that even Geisinger remembers Unions, which until recently were one of the pillars of the Democratic vote, are no longer monolithic And even the truckers union has supported Trump, with some internal disagreements. But the Democratic Party continues to present itself as the party of workers, to the extent that the Northampton Democratic Committee is based in the Union Steel Workers, the steel union’s headquarters.
The key aspect, perhaps, is what type of workers there are in the county: Like the rest of Pennsylvania, the main employers in Northampton are no longer in manufacturing, but in services.Bethlehem Steel ceased smelting steel in 1995, although it did not close permanently until 2003 and the industry has declined since then, although the cement sector remains a considerable presence. And also, Other sectors have seen growth, such as logistics, semiconductors, education and healthcare.,
Of the ten companies that employ the most people in the county, none are dedicated to manufacturing: so are universities, transportation firms, and even a casino, Wind Creek. Although Like many other places in the United States, Wal-Mart is the distribution chain with the most workers.At the door of one of its supermarkets, in Bethlehem itself, it is possible to see the extent to which voters take into account One of the most relevant economic aspects in this election campaign: the rise in prices
,Inflation has been a relevant issue across the country, but few states have debated it as much as Pennsylvania. Prices in the Mid-Atlantic division – which includes Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York – have increased the most over the past five months and The inter-annual variation was 3.4% in September, one point above the national average,
“Everything has gone up a lot, food is expensive. For example, milk,” says 62-year-old Puerto Rican Maria Batista as she walks out of the store with several carts filled with her husband, Alex, 71. “When Trump was president, food was cheap and work was plentiful. Biden came in and prices went up and jobs went down,” says the latter, who argues loudly: “Let’s hope Trump wins.”
On the other hand, Democratic voters give less importance to inflation: “I don’t think it’s increased that much. Food prices have increased over the last two years, but not in the last few months,” defends Pamela Harris – “It’s just a coincidence,” she insists – , 49 However, before assuring that she would vote for the Democratic nominee For other reasons, such as health, and not because of their expectations about managing the economy.,
Something similar is said by Dianne Cook, a black woman who leaves with a full car: “Certainly the prices of all products have gone up,” she admits without any ambiguity, before turning to Kamala. Harris, before pointing out: “I don’t care about (inflation), it’s for other things.” Although he did not elaborate, his body language showed that Trump disliked him.
in Northampton, where per capita income Growing uninterrupted for more than two decades It was $63,828 in 2022, nearly six thousand more than the Pennsylvania averageInflation may not be as decisive an issue, but other parts of the state may influence voter sentiment more.
Despite economic strength, what is most important here? feeling of insecurity in jobThe fact is that, although there are other sectors that support the economy, those impressive factories where a worker had a practically guaranteed good job for life no longer exist. Disillusionment with the loss of a way of life that was remembered as safe and tranquil.
This is the state of mind that manifested itself this Saturday under the shadow of the blast furnace, a democratic activist – who asked not to be named in the article – arriving from neighboring New Jersey to help in the final days of the expedition, who took advantage of some free time to visit the industrial ruins. “This is the root of everything,” he lamented, fixing his eyes on the rusted iron, “we don’t have quality jobs for workers and they all become trumpet player To say a big ‘fuck you’ to the system.”
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