Scranton is a place that takes its "native son" status pretty seriously. You see it in the street signs and the local pride for Joe Biden. But when Donald Trump rolled into the Riverfront Sports arena on October 9, 2024, the vibe wasn't just about a campaign stop. It was an aggressive, 80-minute surgical strike on the Democratic base. Trump wasn't there to play nice; he was there to dismantle the idea that Scranton was still "Scranton Joe's" territory.
He basically told the crowd that the city's favorite son had abandoned them. It's a bold move.
Trump’s strategy was simple. He leaned into the "Electric City" identity while hammering the current administration on things like inflation and energy. You've probably heard the "drill, baby, drill" line a thousand times, but in NEPA—Northeast Pennsylvania—it hits differently. Here, it’s about the fracking industry and the specific fear that green energy policies mean fewer local paychecks. Trump bet big that his populist message could erode the 5-point margin Biden held in Lackawanna County back in 2020. Honestly, it was a gamble that paid off in ways the polls didn't quite capture until the final hours.
How Trump attempts to win votes in Biden's hometown Scranton Pennsylvania shifted the map
The math in Pennsylvania is always a headache for campaign managers. In 2024, the state was the "tipping-point," the big prize with 19 electoral votes that eventually put Trump over the 270 mark. But look closer at Lackawanna County. While Kamala Harris technically won the county (51% to Trump's 48%), the real story is the swing. The margin shrank. Biden carried it by much more in 2020, but the "hometown boost" seemed to evaporate once he left the ticket.
Trump’s October rally was a masterclass in personal branding over policy specifics. He spent a significant amount of time attacking Harris, calling her "grossly incompetent" and a "Marxist," but he also did something clever with the local geography. He didn't just stay in Scranton. He paired that visit with a massive rally in Reading, hitting two different demographics—working-class white voters and the growing Hispanic population—in a single afternoon.
The specific issues that moved the needle
- Energy and Fracking: Trump promised to tell workers to "frack, frack, frack" on day one. For a region built on coal and now gas, that’s music to their ears.
- The "No Tax" Trifecta: He pushed his "no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, and no tax on Social Security" plan. This was specifically aimed at the service workers and seniors who make up the backbone of Scranton's economy.
- Immigration Narratives: Even in a city far from the border, Trump talked about an "invasion" taking "Black and Hispanic jobs." It’s a polarizing tactic, but in the 2024 cycle, it resonated with a segment of voters who felt economically sidelined.
The "Silent" Trump voter in Lackawanna County
If you talk to people like Thomas Rankin, a local store manager in Scranton, you get a different perspective than what the cable news pundits were saying. Rankin told reporters after the election that many voters basically "went boom" once they got into the voting booth. They weren't shouting about their support at the grocery store, but they were feeling the pinch of grocery prices and gas.
This "red shift" in Scranton proper was one of the sharpest in the state. The city went from Biden +27 to Harris +19. That’s an 8-point swing in a single city. When Trump attempts to win votes in Biden's hometown Scranton Pennsylvania, he isn't trying to win the city outright—he's trying to bleed the Democratic lead until it’s thin enough to let the rural "T" of Pennsylvania carry the day.
A tale of two rallies
Trump’s Scranton visit wasn’t just a random date on a calendar. It was October 9—just 27 days before the election. He was flanked by guys like Vivek Ramaswamy and referenced the support of Elon Musk. He even brought up the assassination attempt in Butler, PA, to create a sense of shared resilience with the Pennsylvania crowd. Meanwhile, the Harris campaign was pointing out that it took him over an hour to mention Hurricane Milton lashing Florida.
Did the crowd care? Not really. They were there for the economic promises.
What we learned from the Scranton results
The outcome of the 2024 election in Pennsylvania showed that "hometown" loyalty has a shelf life. Without Joe Biden on the ballot, the emotional connection to the Democratic party in NEPA weakened significantly. Trump's relentless focus on the "inflation crisis" and "affordability" cut through the noise.
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It's also worth noting that Trump didn't just stop after the election. By December 2025, he was already planning return trips to the region to talk about his administration's progress. This tells us that the GOP now views Scranton and the surrounding Wilkes-Barre area as a permanent battleground, not just a one-time target.
If you’re looking at the data, the biggest takeaway is the shift in low-income earners. Across Pennsylvania, Trump flipped voters making less than $50,000 a year—a group Biden carried comfortably in 2020. In Scranton, that meant the "union way of life" wasn't a guaranteed Democratic vote anymore.
Actionable insights for following NEPA politics
If you want to understand how Pennsylvania will swing in future elections, don't just look at Philadelphia. Watch the "Route 222 corridor" and the small municipalities in Lackawanna County. Look for these indicators:
- Voter Registration Shifts: Watch if the narrowing gap in Republican vs. Democrat registrations continues.
- Labor Union Endorsements: Pay attention to whether local chapters break from their national leadership.
- Energy Prices: If gas and heating costs stay high, the GOP's "drill, baby, drill" message will likely keep its teeth.
The 2024 campaign proved that even a "native son" fortress can be breached if the economic message is loud enough. Trump's 13 visits to the region over his political career weren't just for show; they were a long-term investment in flipping a Democratic stronghold.