Pittsburgh region could prove pivotal in Biden reelection chances

President Joe Biden announced his reelection campaign Tuesday, and the Pittsburgh region could again prove pivotal for his chances at returning to the White House.

“There is no doubt that Allegheny County is going to be pivotal to whoever the candidates are on both sides,” said Duquesne University political science professor Lewis Irwin.

Biden’s vote share in Allegheny County in 2020 was the best that a Democratic presidential candidate has performed since Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964. His narrow 80,000-vote win statewide was boosted by his outsized performance in Allegheny County, where he racked up nearly 39,000 more votes compared to presidential candidate Hilary Clinton in 2016.

But the president also has to contend with a poor approval rating. According to the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll from April 20, only 39% of national voters approved of Biden, while 54% disapproved.

Among Pennsylvania voters, Biden’s approval rating is even lower, with 27% of state voters saying Biden is doing an excellent or good job and 72% saying he is doing only a fair or a poor job, according to a Franklin & Marshall College poll.

Local Republicans are taking advantage of Biden’s announcement to say he should focus on fixing the nation’s issues first before worrying about reelection.

U.S. Rep. Guy Reschentheler, R-Peters, tweeted Tuesday “As we face a pivotal debt limit moment in our nation’s history, President Biden is more concerned about his own future today than America’s.”

Reschenthaler represents most of Westmoreland County, as well as Fayette, Greene, and Washington counties.

Another Republican, U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly of Butler, said in a statement that Biden’s first two years in office have made “America weaker, poorer, and less safe.” He criticized the president for high government spending, which he claimed is leading to high inflation, as well as high gas prices. Kelly said Biden is out of touch with Pittsburghers’ needs.

“Now he wants four more years? The American people cannot afford four more years of President Biden,” said Kelly.

Republican Committee of Allegheny County chair and Allegheny County Councilman Sam DeMarco called Biden a failed president. He said another four years of Biden would continue to divide and destroy America.

Allegheny County Democratic Committee Chair Sam Hens-Greco acknowledged that Biden has taken some hits in his approval rating. He said he believes the criticism comes partially from people concerned about his age — Biden will be 81 in November — and an overly skeptical view on every issue.

Hens-Greco said Biden should be judged on his accomplishments, too. He praised Biden for passing the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill and the $480 billion CHIPS and Science Act. He said Pittsburghers have already benefited from programs in these bills, and he expects more benefits will come.

“The grading of his administration has been positive,” said Hens-Greco. “There is real change and real effort.”

U.S. Sen. John Fetterman, D-Braddock, said in a tweet Tuesday that he is proud to stand with Biden in his reelection.

“President @JoeBiden spent his first term fighting for forgotten communities + healing the soul of our nation,” tweeted Fetterman. “Now he’s going to finish the job.”

Hens-Greco said it has been remarkable what Biden has been able to get through a narrow majority in Congress his first two years, citing the Inflation Reduction Act and bipartisan gun reform laws.

He said that Biden should get a boost from Allegheny County voters again in 2024. He said voters will remember Biden’s presence here following the Fern Hollow Bridge collapse and the federal funding that rebuilt that bridge.

“Infrastructure: it has to be done,” said Hens-Greco. “Former President Donald Trump spent 17 weeks trying to pass infrastructure spending and didn’t. Biden actually did it. That is the role we should be highlighting.”

Irwin agreed that Biden’s continued presence in Southwestern Pennsylvania will help him here. He noted that 12% of all Democratic votes cast in Pennsylvania in 2020 came from Allegheny County.

“It is kind of the sense that he didn’t forget about Southwestern Pennsylvania after he got elected,” Irwin said. “He has made a point of swinging through here. I think that actually carries weight.”

He said that the candidates aren’t set in stone, but acknowledged Trump is rising in the Republican primary field. If Trump and Biden rematch, he said that Biden is well positioned in Allegheny County thanks to his connections with local labor and his relative popularity with Republican-leaning suburban women.

He said Trump won’t be able to run away from the abortion issue since he appointed three of the Supreme Court Justices who struck down Roe V. Wade, and that will boost Biden’s and Democrats’ numbers in the region.

“What we have seen is the abortion issue isn’t going away,” Irwin said.

U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio, D-Aspinwall, represents Beaver County and many Allegheny County suburbs including Harrison, Tarentum, Brackenridge and other Alle-Kiski Valley communities. He said Biden has been fighting to bring back American manufacturing, increasing union jobs, and standing up for women’s freedom.

“In Western Pennsylvania, that’s what folks want,” said Deluzio.