Pennsylvania Republicans are registering more new voters than Dems
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Illustration: Maura Losch/Axios
Newly registered Republicans outnumbered Democrats in Pennsylvania in July — a month marked by an assassination attempt on former President Trump, President Biden stepping aside and Vice President Kamala Harris entering the race.
Why it matters: Every vote counts in the critical swing state, where elections are won and lost by the slimmest of margins.
The big picture: July turned this election year into a moment for the history books.
- Trump survived an assassination attempt at a Pennsylvania rally in Butler on July 13. Two days later, he selected his running mate, Sen. JD Vance, on the first day of the Republican National Convention.
- On July 21, Biden dropped out of the race, paving the way for Harris to take over the ticket.
- Since then, Harris has been riding a wave of enthusiasm, while closing the gap on Trump in several states key to the party's 2024 strategy, including Pennsylvania, per recent polling.
Driving the news: Republicans added 19,127 new voter registrations to their rolls last month, a spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Department of State tells Axios.
- Meanwhile, Democrats added 17,495.
Reality check: It can take time for counties to process voter registration data, and there can often be lags, the Inquirer reports.
Zoom out: Republicans have registered more new voters across the Keystone State so far this year (94,603), compared to Democrats' 87,325 as of last week, per the state.
- But Dems still hold a commanding lead for total registered voters statewide with 3.9 million compared to Republicans' 3.5 million as of last week.
What we're watching: Voters not affiliated with either major party could prove decisive in this year's election.
- Those voters now top 1.3 million across the state after adding more than 76,000 since Jan. 1.