'I'm going with Trump': 3 former Dems from Pennsylvania explain how former president won them over

Former registered Democrats successful Pennsylvania who now support erstwhile President Donald Trump foretell a activity of accepted Democrat voters softly pulling nan ballot container lever for nan Republican summons complete Vice President Kamala Harris successful nan cardinal battleground authorities this year. 

"This is Lackawanna County, okay. This is Scranton. This is wherever Joe Biden was born. This is wherever Robert Reich was born. Hillary Clinton has ties present pinch her family. This was a deep, heavy bluish county. But, erstwhile you locomotion into nan poll, I deliberation a batch of these group are going to are going to deliberation doubly and think, 'well, cipher knows really I'm voting -- which is nan measurement it's expected to beryllium – I'm going pinch Trump,'" registered Independent elector David Kveragas told Fox News Digital successful a Zoom question and reply this week. 

Kveragas is simply a resident of nan battleground region of Lackawanna, which is nestled successful Pennsylvania’s Wyoming Valley and has traditionally voted blue, last throwing its support down a Republican successful 1984 during President Ronald Reagan’s blowout predetermination erstwhile he won each authorities isolated from Washington, D.C., and Minnesota — nan location authorities of Reagan’s competitor that year, erstwhile Vice President Walter Mondale.

The region has trended correct successful caller elections, however, teeing up a heightened predetermination conflict that will apt thief find really nan cardinal battleground authorities will plaything travel Nov. 5.

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Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris. (Getty Images)

Fox News Digital said pinch 3 Lackawanna County residents who were each previously-registered Democrats who now full-heartedly support Trump, contempt first hesitance and moreover outright disapproval during his first statesmanlike tally successful 2016. 

Susanne Green is simply a erstwhile Democrat who moreover antecedently worked for Planned Parenthood successful Washington, D.C., arsenic nan abortion provider’s financial head and now supports Trump and is actively progressive arsenic a unpaid for nan campaign. 

Green said that she besides anticipates her left-leaning neighbors and friends will softly ballot for Trump. 

"They whitethorn beryllium registered Republican aliases Democrat aliases independent, but they person told maine privately, ‘Susanne, I'm not going to put a motion successful my yard. I don't want everybody to cognize who I'm voting for, but I'm going to ballot for Trump,'" Green told Fox News Digital successful a Zoom question and reply this month. 

From near to right, erstwhile Democrat voters David Kveragas, Susanne Green and Vince Sardo speak to Fox Digital.  (Fox News Digital )

Vince Sardo, a retired firefighter and erstwhile national leader of nan Dunmore Firefighters IAFF Local 860, told Fox News Digital successful a abstracted question and reply he besides believes galore of his Democrat friends and neighbors will ballot for Trump without fanfare aliases changing their governmental affiliation. 

"I person galore friends that are registered Democrats, I'm not going to mention names, but immoderate of them are Democratic leaders successful communities, and they're voting for Trump," the formerly longtime registered Democrat told Fox News Digital successful a Zoom interview.

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Political eyes are locked connected Pennsylvania arsenic nan authorities that will apt find nan result of nan election. Trump and Harris person some many times zigzagged nan authorities campaigning successful caller weeks, while elector registration for nan authorities released this week shows sizable shifts benefitting nan GOP successful nan final agelong of nan predetermination cycle. 

Following nan adjacent of elector registration successful Pennsylvania connected Monday, nan Democratic Party accounts for astir 44% of registered voters compared to nan GOP's 40% but has seen its advantage complete Republicans dwindle this year. 

Republican statesmanlike nominee erstwhile President Donald Trump holds a municipality hallway astatine nan Greater Philadelphia Expo Center connected Oct. 14, 2024 successful Oaks, Pennsylvania. His rival, Democratic statesmanlike nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, is speaking successful nan occidental Pennsylvania metropolis of Erie. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

President Biden won nan authorities successful 2020 by 1.17 percent points​. That year, Democrats had a larger separator of registered voters compared to their Republican counterparts, astatine 4.2 cardinal to 3.5 million. The information show that Democrats had a registration advantage complete Republicans by 685,818 voters during nan predetermination that Biden won by 80,555 votes.

The GOP has whittled down that lead this twelvemonth to a 297,824 margin. When comparing registered voters this predetermination twelvemonth to 2020, Democrats look a nett nonaccomplishment of 257,281 voters, while Republicans person a nett summation of 428,537 registered voters. 

More than double nan number of antecedently registered Democrats changed their statement affiliation this rhythm compared to nan number of registered Republicans who near nan party: 54,668 registered Democrats changed their statement affiliation compared to 25,634 Republicans, Pennsylvania Department of State information shows.

"I don't deliberation it's going to beryllium rather arsenic adjacent arsenic they're saying. I mean, some sides are going to opportunity that because you ever play for illustration you're behind. That conscionable goes pinch campaigning. I conscionable spot excessively overmuch momentum for Trump. We won't cognize that night, because successful Pennsylvania we're truthful slow," Kveragas said. 

Fox News Digital said pinch nan 3 Pennsylvania voters astir their voting history and recovered that each individual had heavy ties to nan Democratic Party earlier registering arsenic a Republican – aliases successful Kveragas’ case, registering arsenic a Republican successful nan 1990s, earlier registering arsenic an Independent erstwhile Mitt Romney was astatine nan apical of nan GOP statesmanlike summons successful 2012. 

Former President Donald Trump protagonist and run unpaid Susanne Green astatine a Trump rally successful Scranton, Pennsylvania. (Susanne Green )

Green told Fox News Digital that she was raised successful a Catholic, Democratic family successful Pennsylvania, akin to galore group crossed nan commonwealth backmost successful nan 1960s and 1970s. She based on that nan Democratic Party of her younker had shape-shifted into nan left-wing statement that she described arsenic "radical." 

"It meant that you were a patriot," Green told Fox Digital of what it meant to beryllium a Democrat backmost successful nan 1970s. "That was a clip erstwhile location was nan bicentennial and everything was red, achromatic and blue. There was, you know, happy patriotism … It was astir doing what was correct for your country. It was surviving together successful harmony."

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Green registered arsenic a Democrat arsenic a young big and said pinch Fox Digital astir her employment pinch Planned Parenthood arsenic its financial head successful Washington, D.C., successful 2000. 

"Safe, ineligible and rare. Which was nan advertisement astatine nan clip erstwhile I worked astatine Planned Parenthood. That abortion should beryllium safe, ineligible and rare. And I judge that I still consciousness that measurement today. I did find retired erstwhile I worked location that location were group from each affiliations who would make contributions to Planned Parenthood. Many group were Republicans … and I recovered retired astatine that constituent it was called Republicans for Choice, which is really a very ample activity now," Green said, noting that she has ne'er been a hard-line protagonist of abortion but believes location should beryllium exceptions specified arsenic successful nan lawsuit of rape, incest aliases life of nan mother. 

The 2016 predetermination spurred Green to rethink her support of nan Democratic Party, pointing to Donna Brazile erstwhile she worked arsenic a CNN commentator and fed statement questions during nan superior process to erstwhile Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s campaign. 

"I didn't consciousness that location was a alteration until, I would say, until Hillary Clinton was running. And I did spot a alteration astatine that time. And I callback getting fresh to ballot successful nan superior … I deliberation I was surviving successful Virginia astatine nan time, and uncovering retired that she had colluded with, I think, pinch nan president of nan DNC to get nan questions for nan statement against Bernie Sanders and possibly others. And I thought, 'that's not right. That's not thing anybody should beryllium doing,'" she said. 

The "Electric City" motion successful Scranton, Pennsylvania, connected Friday, Feb. 25, 2022. (Photographer: Hannah Beier/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Green voted for Trump successful 2016 and is now volunteering for nan run successful Lackawanna County. 

For Sardo, he switched governmental teams and voted for Trump successful nan 2020 election. 

"Just towards nan extremity of my career, I retired successful 2019 … arsenic acold arsenic nan measurement I looked astatine it pinch nan Democratic Party, they conscionable started going measurement excessively acold near for me," Sardo said. 

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In summation to disagreeing pinch COVID-19 directives and mandates successful nan 2020 era, Sardo said he has a "major issue" pinch really parents speaking retired astir trans issues were characterized arsenic "domestic terrorists."

"I had a awesome issue, I really did with, you know, parents that were benignant of protesting against resistance shows and simple centers and kids mutilating their body. And past they became home terrorists because they're astatine schoolhouse committee meetings. You know, conscionable just crazy worldly that was going on. Men successful women's sports. I mean, really, travel on," he said. 

"I really started looking at, you know, nan morality. And I deliberation that was nan turning constituent for maine is being a God-fearing type personification and uncovering my spirituality again because it was mislaid younger successful my life. But, I conscionable couldn't spell on for nan thrust anymore with, you know, nan measurement things were going pinch nan Democratic Party going that acold left," he said. 

Tesla CEO Elon Musk, right, jumps connected shape arsenic he joins erstwhile President Donald Trump during a run rally astatine nan tract of his first assassination effort successful Butler, Pennsylvania, connected Oct. 5, 2024. (JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)

Sardo said that successful his societal circles of national workers and longtime Democrats, he is seeing large changes regarding really they will ballot this election. 

"I'm seeing a immense change. I person a batch of section friends because I was a national leader and past down successful Harrisburg. And past erstwhile I came back, I was asked to thief connected Lackawanna County elections. I've helped connected a commissioner race, and I've helped connected section races successful my community, my town, my borough. And I person a batch of group that are connected Democratic committees and Democratic activity roles successful our organization that are voting for Trump," he said. 

Sardo added that he believes galore Democrats will not alteration their statement affiliation contempt supporting Trump, citing nan commonwealth’s closed superior process, which only allows voters to formed ballots for superior candidates successful their registered party. 

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Kveragas is simply a registered Independent elector and was nary instrumentality of Trump’s until he saw nan 45th president’s policies put into action. 

"I didn't ballot for Trump [in 2016]. I voted against Hillary Clinton, who I paid a batch of attraction to. I knew that we would beryllium successful heavy trouble, particularly coming retired of nan Obama years if we fto her get in," he said. 

Democratic statesmanlike nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a municipality hallway successful Malvern, Pennsylvania. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

"I really had a missive successful nan Wall Street Journal successful May of ‘16 because he was complaining astir really nan primaries work. And I said, you know, he tin measurement retired of nan superior astatine immoderate clip if he doesn't for illustration nan system, you know, he tin conscionable leave. So I was not a Trump protagonist moreover going into nan election," he said. 

The tide began to alteration for Kveragas erstwhile Trump was successful office, and he saw improvements to nan system and bid crossed nan world. 

"He started cutting taxes. He started cutting regulations. The system improved greatly. My status accounts, etc., were going up. We had peace. There were nary caller wars, nary caller existent overseas incursions. We still had Afghanistan, but he was getting that arsenic overmuch nether power arsenic he could. I'm not large connected overseas affairs, but he did nan Abraham Accords, which was amazing. I mean, anyone other would get nan Nobel Peace Prize for that. He sewage Arab countries to admit Israel for nan first clip successful their history. He went to South Korea. He went to North Korea and negotiated to get nan remains of our soldiers mislaid successful that war. And I had 3 uncles who served successful Korea. So that's important to maine there. He brought them back. He yet sewage that settled," Kveragas said. 

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For nan trio of erstwhile Democrats who now support Trump, they each reported much aliases little nan same: The Democratic Party has shifted harder to nan left, leaving galore Democrats uncovering refuge pinch Trump. 

"It's so, truthful extremist correct now. I americium shocked that location are still truthful galore group who consciousness that, aliases don't realize, what guidance nan vessel is astir to spell in. I mean, if nan Democrats … triumph I americium acrophobic for our country. I'm virtually acrophobic for our country," Green said. 

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