A former Democratic mayor of a large Pennsylvania city in mostly swing counties said he believes the Republican Party and Trump's campaign are connecting better with voters in this tight race than the vice president and his campaign.
“I think the Democrats are being misled by the Republicans,” Easton Mayor Salvatore “Sal” Panto Jr. said in a Monday interview with Fox News Digital.
“In an ad where Kamala Harris says, 'Well, it's Bidenomics,' I think that's hurting, because I think the Trump campaign did a better job of saying, 'Things are really bad.'”
Easton is the county seat of Northampton County, about 70 miles north of Philadelphia. It is reversed from voting Former President Donald Trump In 2016, to President Biden in 2020.
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Democratic Easton Mayor Salvatore “Sal” Panto Jr. in his office. (Charlie Kreitz/Fox News Digital)
Panto, a popular and moderate Democrat who has served six consecutive terms since 1984, added that when his party identifies something that Trump says is false, they should look deeper into the matter.
“I know that in my own campaign it is easier to embellish the negative than the positive. And that's what I think (Trump) does very well. I mean, we know he lies about things and we've proven that he lies, but then he leaves. down and I don’t think they should let it go down,” he said.
“I had more of that on Steven Colbert’s show tonight than I did on Kamala Harris’ campaign. I think it should be noted that his plan for 2025 is very different from his plan. boo 'bout it. “I didn’t say.”
Easton is one of three cities – along with Allentown and Bethlehem – that make up the Keystone State's diverse and electorally important Lehigh Valley.
Allentown is the largest — and third in Pennsylvania — although the bi-county Bethlehem was known for its steel mill and for being a leafy college town that adopted its “Christmas Town” identity each winter.
Easton, facing Phillipsburg, New Jersey across the Delaware River, is a multifaceted town with several historic sites and some famous people, including Lafayette College, the Crayola Company, former boxing champion Larry Holmes.
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Center Square at 3rd and Northampton Streets in Easton, Pennsylvania. (Reuters)
Panto said College Hill, where Lafayette is located, was once a Republican stronghold — although he was not right-wing during his previous term.
“Today, Democrats and Republicans are 50-50,” he said, while Democrats in the city lean conservative and Republicans are moderate along the lines of former regional Rep. Charlie Dent, R-Pa.
This voting bloc is crucial for both high-profile candidates this year, and both Harris and Trump have welcomed members of each other's parties.
Harris recently welcomed an endorsement from former Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., and while in office, Trump celebrated party switches by West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice and Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J.
In that regard, Panto said that political extremism hurts both parties and that College Hill's “liberal Republicans” and the city's moderate Democrats tend to complement each other when it comes to Easton.
“I don’t believe in marginalization. I think marginalization is hurting both political parties… I believe the economy will be the most important thing (in this election),” he said.
“Inflation is down, interest rates are down and investment is up. But that's not the message. I think Democrats are very weak on messaging. I think Donald Trump is very good at messaging and it's always easy to share and talk. They like to hear the negative, they like to hear the positive, and they don’t like to hear it.”
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Easton, Pennsylvania, view from the top of the old Lehigh Valley Railroad viaduct on the south side of town. (Reuters)
With its swing status, the Lehigh Valley is filled with billboards, especially from third-party PACs or supporters of Harris and many others, including Interstate 78 and US-22, where thousands of commuters and travelers see them every day.
“I’ve never done a national campaign, so I know you pick your spots and you just have to check. But I see billboards in the Lehigh Valley and they say Kamala Harris voted for (increasing) the minimum wage. salary doesn’t matter,” he said.
“Nobody pays the minimum wage because they can’t find a job. The unemployment rate fell to 2.1%. I mean, (what) they have to talk about in the Valley is the price of things that are falling… the minimum wage is not rising.”
He noted the rebirth of the pre-industrial Lehigh Valley as a commercial center for warehousing and the like, with labor jobs paying more than $23 an hour, regardless of the federal minimum.
The election will likely come down to JioTV or an effort to “get votes” through campaigning, Panto predicted.
He joked that when he runs for reelection, his critics are often too excited to vote — and the dynamic of voting “against” someone is never ideal.
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“That’s not the reason to vote. The reason to vote is to vote for the best person. And I think if you look at experience and perspective, Kamala Harris should win,” he said.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Harris' campaign for comment.
