Thread by @AP

THREAD: To hold onto Pennsylvania’s 20 electoral votes, President Trump needs to prove that a hidden groundswell of supporters exists — and will vote.

Read more in the final installment of @AP’s #AmericaDisrupted series: apne.ws/hf2x4vz

Trump won Pennsylvania by 44,292 votes out of 6.1 million cast in 2016. A Democratic surge of votes in cities and suburbs could quickly erase that narrow lead.

Polls show Trump consistently trailing Joe Biden in the state. #AmericaDisrupted

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@AP Trump's fate lies in large part in places like Butler County, an overwhelmingly white, conservative county north of Pittsburgh.

There are nearly two Republicans for each registered Democrat. Most adults did not graduate from college.

Slippery Rock Mayor Jondavid Longo says that Trump “has given us an energy that says, Don’t back down, stand up for what’s right. Open your mouth when you feel compelled to do so.”

@AP While Trump can tally up some first-time and third-party voters, he continues to lose Republicans like Lisa Barrickman.

“There is just too much division in this country,” she said. “If you’re a leader, you don’t incite, you quiet the storm.

The Trump campaign has long known its best shot was finding new voters in its strongholds, rather than persuading swing Democrats or independents.

That includes a voter registration and data effort around his rallies in places that rarely get attention.

#AmericaDisrupted

There are signs of success, including in registration gains in Florida.

But in Pennsylvania, Democrats still outnumber Republicans by more than 700,000 registered voters

#AmericaDisrupted

“Trump has to drive turnout,” said Terry Madona, a professor at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster who has conducted polls in the state for almost three decades. “I don’t see any evidence that he’s expanded his base.”

#AmericaDisrupted

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@AP Read more from the #AmericaDisrupted series from @AP.

And get full coverage of #Election2020 here: apne.ws/fTFCzcj

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