WASHINGTON, D.C. - We are now roughly two months away from the November elections. Now is the time where we will see the candidates, former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, be very active on the campaign trail. 

Recently Vice Presidential candidate Senator JD Vance (R- OH) visited Erie. Over the weekend, Vice President Harris and President Joe Biden also campaigned in Pennsylvania. Harris and Trump will be fighting hard to win over places like Pennsylvania. The state favored Trump in 2016 but Biden flipped it to blue in 2020. Political scientists said these candidates are trying to attract those independent voters but also trying to energize their base during these visits.  

“Those base voters are really important because they can get out there and volunteer with door knocking and phone calling and talking to their neighbors that really can be influential to get those last-minute voters to get out on election day and getting them to turn in those vote-by-mail envelopes that they have,” said Dr. Todd Belt, Professor and Director of Political Management at George Washington University.  

Belt said Trump and Harris need to explain to voters how their lives will be improved by their administrations. He adds that both Harris and Trump have talked about reducing prices for buying homes and at the grocery store, but so far neither of them has done a good job of explaining how they’ll achieve those goals. 

Trump and Harris are expected to debate on September 10th. We can also expect them to do a lot of debate prep while they’re on the campaign trail.