For all the talk about how Republicans, and specifically Donald Trump, will put Pennsylvania in play this November, the results from the presidential primaries show a different story.
For days the Trump supporters had trumpeted on social media how many Democrats had re-registered as Republicans in order to vote for him. It was supposed to be a signal that traditionally blue PA could become a swing state.
Alas, in the end, the numbers speak for themselves.
Hillary Clinton received 918,649 votes to Trump’s 892,702.
She received more votes than Trump even though she had one less opponent to attract voters to the polls.
When added up, 1.6 million votes were cast for the two Democrats, 1.5 million for the three Republicans.
True, come fall there may be some Sanders supporters who don’t vote for Clinton. But with the Supreme Court on the line, most progressives will follow his lead and back her.
Trump faces a more difficult problem. If a conservative alternative is on the ballot, as conservatives like Bill Kristol suggest, many Republicans will vote for that candidate. And Trump will be sunk.
Republicans had better concentrate on the true battlegrounds like Florida, Ohio and Virginia. Any hope to turn blue Pennsylvania red in November should have been answered in the primary election results.