Alvernia presidential historian discusses Lehigh Valley’s bellwether status

 Alvernia presidential historian discusses Lehigh Valley’s bellwether status

By Brittany Swenney

November 5, 2020

Please be patient: We most likely won’t know the results of the Nov. 3 election in Pa. and across the country for several days. Click here for all of over election coverage and results as we get them.

With many of Pennsylvania’s votes remaining to be counted, the commonwealth has yet to pick its presidential candidate. 

WLVR’s Brittany Sweeney spoke with a presidential historian to find out what results in the Lehigh Valley may signal about Pennsylvania.

Alvernia University’s Presidential Historian Dr. Tim Blessing says he expects the media to call the presidential election today or tomorrow, but adds that lawsuits could delay a definitive answer for weeks. 

As the count continues in Pennsylvania, Blessing says the Lehigh Valley will continue to be a bellwether for presidential elections.

“If Biden wins, it’s all Philadelphia, and Philadelphia’s collar counties. So in terms of demonstrating which way the rest of Pennsylvania is going, the Lehigh Valley has become very important. For a long time you all were heading in a democratic fashion, but since Trump has refashioned the Republican Party, you have become really what Pennsylvania is.”

Because the counts are so close in many key states, Blessing says the race could be contested on many levels – from state courts all the way up to the Senate.

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