Mitt Romney’s Keystone State
Cambria County
2008 result: Obama +1
2004 result: Bush +2
Cambria County is east of Pittsburgh, and it’s the critical swing county in the state’s southwest region. Obama won here by a percentage point four years ago, and in 2004, Bush carried the county by two points. It includes Johnstown, a Democratic city that was the late John Murtha’s political base for decades, as well as Republican-leaning suburbs closer to Pittsburgh. Voters here list the economy as their top issue, but they view it through a different prism than do Bucks County voters. Cambria County is full of families who grew up with fathers who worked in coal mines and steel mills, and many of the best jobs in the county remain in the energy sector. Expect Obama to pay a price for his regulations.
“Cambria is dead even,” says G. Terry Madonna. “These are working-class, blue-collar voters who were offended by the president’s comment about Pennsylvanians’ clinging to their guns and their religion. It has a Democratic history, but it’s culturally conservative.”
Senator Toomey carried Cambria two years ago, and Republican Keith Rothfus, who narrowly lost his House race in 2010, is running strong against the county’s incumbent congressman, Democrat Mark Critz, a former Murtha staffer. Romney should also be helped by U.S. Senate candidate Tom Smith, a former coal executive from the region who is running countless TV ads about Obama’s “war on coal.”
Blowback
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If we take PA it’ll be a landslide.
hawkdriver on November 5, 2012 at 9:22 AM
Let’s go PA
cmsinaz on November 5, 2012 at 9:22 AM
Revenge of the Bitter Clingers.
You’re done, Dog Eater, the Bible-thumping gun toters are going to eject you from office like a piece of gristle from between their teeth.
*flick* and gone.
Bishop on November 5, 2012 at 9:23 AM
If Penn and VA which will hopefully be in the first phase of how the chips are falling go for Romney there are going to be a lot of “folks” on suicide watch.
MSNBC might be passing out the Jim Jones kool aid…
Tilly on November 5, 2012 at 9:34 AM
When you hear tomorrow night about lawsuits to keep Philadelphia polling places open until midnight, you will know early results look bad for The Lightworker.
Fabozz on November 5, 2012 at 9:41 AM
I say Romney loses PA by only a very small margin – a harbinger, however, for victories in Ohio and Iowa.
Red Cloud on November 5, 2012 at 10:02 AM
I love the mushroom screencaps. I hope we see a number of them tomorrow night as prominent states get called for Romney.
Or, maybe, just save it for when MSNBC calls the election for Romney. Someone make sure that grief counselors are dispated to 30 Rock.
BuckeyeSam on November 5, 2012 at 10:03 AM
As I said in the survey thread, the key to PA is Pilly turnout. The middle counties all vote R, but around Philly, Pittsburgh and Erie, the population is enough higher that they negate that easily.
Earlier this year Gov. Corbett was talking about breaking the EC down by district, which would probably have given 8 to Romney and 12 to Barry0 (counting the two extra as going to the overall winner).
That is what I would like to see done, if only to offset the corruption that everyone in PA knows happens in Philadelphia.
Siddhartha Vicious on November 5, 2012 at 10:55 AM
How does Pat Toomey win two years ago and Romney not win this time? Who are all the voters who voted for Toomey who will not vote for Romney? Must be a turnout/fraud thing…
cptacek on November 5, 2012 at 1:47 PM