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ginbear t1_ivst5wa wrote

Reply to comment by PregnantSuperman in How Doug Mastriano’s run for Pa. governor veered far off course by neverjumpthegate

PA broke the two terms and switch pattern with the governor’s office by ousting Corbett by one term and has followed it up with 3 straight dem wins, which hadn’t happened since the 1840s.

Pa demographic changes are slow but interesting. Population wise SE PA has been growing slowly, Pittsburgh is flat, and rural, small town PA is shrinking. Politically, That’s offset by small town PAs long shift from union backing blue dogs to the hard right. That shift is not going to change most likely but it will max out at some point. And if SE pa continues to slowly grow...is it crazy to suggest the state might be slightly trending blue?

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thenewtbaron t1_ivttu8o wrote

Well, at the statewide level, we have been blue for a LONG time. we dabble with red at those levels but usually only very popular candidates. Our national senate tends to be rather purple.

Even our national representatives are purple-ish, when they are not gerrymandered. Our state congress is pretty red.

Small towns have also shifted because every generation for atleast the last 40+ years have ran from them and have generally decided not to go back. You go off for college or technical training, why go back there, you can make so much more money elsewhere. You aren't religious, are gay, or have odd interests for a small town... why the hell would you stay there, there is NOTHING to do there.

Even if you do regular trades work, why go to a place that only has 40k people in 400 square miles who are generally poorer, when you can have a million+ in the same sized space only an hour away, who tend to have more money.

Those places aren't bringing in new people, there aren't a lot of businesses, aren't a lot of well paying jobs, they shoot themselves in the foot every step of the way

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