Hours before J.D. Vance arrived in Erie, members of the Erie County Democratic Party voiced their concerns about Trump's platform, saying the former President's policies don't align with Erie County's best interests. City Council member Chuck Nelson, Crawford County Chair Lindsey Scott and Democratic Chairman Sam Talerico all spoke at the event.
Chuck Nelson, a member of Erie City Council said Harris would be the best fit for President to help those in Erie, "Energy, economy, jobs, and this is ironic coming a month after $182 million in investment on the East side in manufacturing for the Department of Energy. We haven't seen all the jobs start yet, but they are coming from the administration investment in our community."
Erie Dems believe the Harris campaign wants to invest more in average Americans. They claim Trump wants to help the upper class. As Nelson explained, "It's important to see the policies of the candidates. Vance's whole career has been a candidate, he's only been in office a year and a half, so we don't really have a track record for him. Where as we can see strong investments in our community coming through this administration and really jobs are plentiful right now."
Not only did Erie Dems show their support for Harris' economic plan, but they also stressed the importance of people making sure they were informed about both candidates before they make their decision of who they plan to vote for.
Democratic Chairman Sam Talerico believes voters should gather all their information before making their decisions, "Ultimately we believe campaigns are about issues and policies and it's important that votes know about what policy each candidate would implement once they get elected."
Talarico said safety is a top priority no matter who comes to town.
"Security is number one and anything the campaigns decide to do. I'm certain security is the number one concern and we stand by that and support whatever decisions the campaigns make", said Talerico.
Although the Harris campaign hasn't visited Erie. Talerico said Erie Dems are prepared to welcome the Vice President. As Talerico explained, "We here at the Erie Democratic Party have an open invitation to all of our candidates including those at the top of the ticket."