Western Pennsylvania is growing increasingly progressive: report

The recent elections showed that, in the swing state of Pennsylvania, areas known for being conservative are trending more progressive, according to a local report.

The urban side of Pennsylvania, in the east, has always been more Democratic, and the west more conservative. The Rust Belt was the once thriving part of the upper eastern part of the U.S., where industrial plants were successful but began to falter in the 1970s.

As jobs died, communities grew angrier and more desperate. It led to conservatives claiming to be the next savior. But by 2017, it was still an issue folks were talking about. "How to save the Rust Belt" was the Politico headline, and the debate has been about bringing new jobs back to the area.

The Pittsburg Post-Gazette explained that the progressive successes that happened again in the Tuesday elections are part of a trend, and they don't think it'll stop any time soon.

"It’s not new — and it’s far from over," the paper explained in an election post-mortem Wednesday.

There were progressive victories in Allegheny County Tuesday, and it's adding to the momentum for Democrats fighting back against Donald Trump, the report said.

“The part that becomes challenging is now governing,” explained a senior Democratic leader. “Campaigning against something is always easier — it’s easier to point out what hasn’t been done. [But] it will be a challenging time as they’re in charge, and now in charge of everything."

Progressive primary winners were Rep. Sara Innamorato for county executive, Matt Dugan for district attorney, incumbent County Councilwoman Bethany Hallam, and Erica Rocchi Brusselars for county treasurer, the report explained. The Pittsburgh mayor is a supporter of Innamorato's, too. This is the first time since the office was created that a woman is held the post.

“It’s because of you that we just changed county government for the better,” Mayor Ed Gainey told Innamorato’s supporters at the victory rally. “It’s because of you that we can create a county for all.”

State Sen. Jay Costa, a Democrat, explained that Democratic candidates have focused "on the issues" that local communities "care about." That's been the key to success, he suggested.

“Voters and candidates. The relationship between the two has been evolving,” said Costa. “In Democratic primaries, that is exactly what is taking place.”

The path didn't begin because of Donald Trump, Republican strategist Christopher Nicholas said. It's been going on for the past ten years.

“Over the last ten years, we’ve seen the old guard, more conservative Democrats… losing [races] and retiring. It’s just a turnover from one generation to the next," he claimed. He also thinks the blue stronghold is starting to look more solid in the west than in the east.

But it doesn't account for why the voters have been more willing to move from supporting conservative Democrats to more progressive ones.

Harrisburg is another city where conservatives are being knocked off. The report cited the politically influential Costa family. Two of the family members lost to progressive Democrats in 2018.

The Post-Gazette thinks that part of it is a "demographic shifts over the past ten to 15 years," said a senior Democratic leader.

"Earlier this year, Democrats won control of the House for the first time in more than a decade, but with only a one-seat margin," the report closed. "They retained control of the chamber on Tuesday with a special election win in a suburban Philadelphia district."

Read the full report at The Pittsburg Post-Gazette.