Former Pennsylvania Democrat Steve Kochanowski joined ‘Fox & Friends’ to discuss why he changed his party affiliation as tens of thousands of voters ditch the Democratic Party in Biden’s home state. A Pennsylvania Democrat who’s facing a tough reelection battle this year said recently that she was “dismayed” to find out she would be representing a county that strongly supports former President Donald Trump following redistricting efforts in the state.
In a recent Zoom call, Rep. Susan Wild recalled how she felt when she learned that her constituency would include a county that “drank the Trump Kool-Aid” after the electoral boundaries for her congressional district were redrawn in 2022. The comments from Wild, who has represented the Keystone State’s 7th Congressional District since 2018, came during a conversation with four other Democrats who represent portions of Pennsylvania at the federal level, including vulnerable House Democrat Matt Cartwright and Sen. Bob Casey.
Carbon County, a GOP stronghold that backed Trump in the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections by 2 to 1 margins, was added to Wild’s district after the state redrew its congressional boundaries based on the 2020 census and gave Republicans a favorable chance in 2022. Despite the end result of the redistricting process, Wild narrowly defeated her Republican challenger in the state’s 2022 midterm elections, garnering a little more than 151,000 votes compared to Lisa Scheller’s 145,527 votes.
“I acquired Carbon County as part of my district last year and Matt did not then represent it. Matt had actually represented Carbon County in the past, so it was very valuable for me in terms of talking to him,” she said. “After Trump came along, it went from a sort of working-class blue district to a – they drank the Trump Kool-Aid – and it really became a red county. So, I was dismayed when I got that as part of my district.”
In a statement to Digital, Wild said, “It’s the honor of my lifetime to represent Carbon County in Congress and am grateful for the partnership I have with my constituents there. The first thing I did upon representing Carbon County was open an office in Lehighton so I could assist as many constituents as possible in dealing with federal agencies.” “I’ll continue to work tirelessly on their behalf,” she added.
The recent remarks from Wild, who previously served as chair of the House Ethics Committee, come after she said a few years ago that she “might have to school” the same rural Trump voters in order to win their support. During a virtual meet and greet in July 2022, Wild said the Republican voters of Carbon County may need to be educated on the error of their ways. “Carbon County has many attributes, but it is a county that – although it was once an Obama county – it since has become a Trump county,” she said at the time. “I’m not quite sure what was in their heads because the people of Carbon County are exactly the kind of people who should not be voting for a Donald Trump, but I guess I might have to school them on that a little bit.” “But most of all, it is a very rural county,” she added.
Prior to her winning reelection to the House in Nov. 2022, the congresswoman and attorney of over three decades raised eyebrows the same month after she compared the Supreme Court’s ruling allowing prayer back in public schools to the Taliban. “It’s scary. This is what happens in theocracies,” she said during a July 2022 radio interview. “This is what happens in countries that we can’t imagine living in or being a part of – where the religion – you know, think about the Taliban.”
A Digital review of campaign finance records last month revealed that several Democrats who refused to condemn Hamas’ actions against Israel had worked to shower Wild’s campaign with more than $47,000 since 2020. Each donation ranged between $250 and $10,000.
Jessica Chasmar and Joe Schoffstall contributed to this report. Kyle Morris covers politics for . Story tips can be sent via email and on X: @RealKyleMorris. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more politics content. Subscribed You’ve successfully subscribed to this newsletter!
