Chris Borick, professor of political science at Muhlenberg College and director of the college’s Institute of Public Opinion, said voters concerned about the Biden-Harris administration’s handling of the Israel-Gaza war could prove to be a critical margin in a state where Biden bested Trump by a little over 80,000 votes in 2020.
“This issue, of course, has the potential to bring voters out, keep voters at home, switch votes,” he said. “And thus it, like many other issues, and in a state like Pennsylvania that is so crucial to the electoral success of both parties, and I think particularly Democrats, it could be impactful.”
An “underrated” impact of voters dissatisfied with Harris’s and Democrats’ stance on the Israel-Gaza war could also come in the form of diminished organizing power, Borick said.
“Often, progressive voters that feel very passionate might do a lot of the legwork and spend a lot of the time helping to organize,” he said. “And if at the end, they say, ‘Well, you know, I can’t vote for Trump, I’ll take the lesser of two evils,’ that’s a win, but not necessarily a complete win that you would get if those individuals were also highly engaged in the race.”
Borick said Harris has an opportunity to win over some voters who have been critical of the Biden administration’s handling of the conflict.
“The attention and the navigation of the issue by the vice president in her campaign I think is going to be a really significant part of the campaign moving forward,” he said.
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