The Daily - The Field: The Battle for Pennsylvania’s White Working Class

Episode Date: October 9, 2020

This episode contains strong language.Over the summer, Dave Mitchko started a makeshift pro-Trump sign operation from his garage. By his estimate he has handed out around 26,000 signs, put together with the help of his family.Mr. Mitchko might seem like the kind of voter Joseph R. Biden Jr. wants to peel away from the Republicans in November. He had always been a Democrat — he voted for Barack Obama twice — but opted for Donald Trump in 2016.Today, we speak to voters and politicians on the ground in northeastern Pennsylvania, exploring the factors that swung former Democratic strongholds toward Mr. Trump and asking whether Mr. Biden can win them back. Guest: Shane Goldmacher, a national political reporter for The New York Times. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily Background reading: After the turbulent first presidential debate, Mr. Biden embarked on an old-fashioned train tour to cities where the president won over working-class white voters four years ago.

So can I ask you, you're a Democrat, so how common is it for Democrats to vote for Republicans here? I think I told you on the phone, I'm going to give you an example. When the election came around, when Trump was running, I'm working the polls that day as a Democrat. And usually in Hazel Township, because the population is so small, election day, it's 8 o'clock in the morning, you're going to get drips and drabs. Two hours later, there's nothing. Lunchtime, people are coming on their lunch hours. Then 4 o'clock, you'll get the rush.

That day, those people were lined up to the highway. I was like, are you kidding me? Like, what are these people doing here today? People just came out to vote for Donald Trump that day. That's what they were there for. From The New York Times, this is The Field. I'm Shane Goldmacher in Pennsylvania. Hi. Hi, how are you doing? Yeah, what are we doing here? So a few weeks ago, I went with my colleagues Andy Mills and Elise Spiegel to Luzerne County,

one of the most important counties in one of the most important swing states. Welcome to Nanny Coke. Yeah. We didn't know how to pronounce it. Say it again. Nanny Coke. Nanny Coke. Polls showed no sign that Donald Trump is making inroads in the cities and suburbs.

So in order to win Pennsylvania and the White House again, Donald Trump not only has to keep the white working class voters he got in Luzerne and places like it in 2016. This time, he's going to have to win even more. Could you just introduce yourself, your name, your title? So we went there specifically to talk to a local state senator. State Senator John Udichek? John Udichek. So that's how you say your name? U. State Senator John Udichek. John Udichek. So that's how you say your name? Udichek. Udichek. Because in a lot of ways, his story is the story

of the whole area. Thanks so much for making the time. We really appreciate it. We just wanted to start just to ask you a little bit about yourself and your own, you know, family history. I'm one of eight children. I have five sisters and two brothers. One brother passed away at birth. My mom passed away about 14 years ago. My father is really the genesis of my political career. What did he do? He was an anthracite miner. That's his father and his grandfather. So Senator U.D. Cech's family immigrated to this area from Eastern Europe about 100 years ago. And he comes from a long line of coal miners.

But before he was born, his dad got into an accident. A mining accident. He came in, left most of his one side of his body broken and busted. And eventually he started working in democratic politics. He went on to the school board here in Greater Nanticoke area and then township supervisor. Because as far back as anyone can remember, the only kind of politics for his family was democratic politics. To hear those stories of working in the mines and how, you know, the Democratic Party was for labor, for organized labor, for the United Mine Workers, and how, you know, the WPA helped sustain the family. My grandfather worked on the Work Progress

Administration. And so having that real personal history where government helped sustain my family was a very personal connection. And my father had always taught us, you looked after your neighbor and particularly the working class. And that's why, you know, I grew up a Democrat and ran for office as a Democrat. My brother-in-law is a Newport Township Commissioner. My nephew's a Democratic leader. My best friend's was Democratic chairman. And just like Yedicek's family, this area has remained a Democratic stronghold. Even as trade deals cost jobs, coal mines closed, and the whole area was decimated economically. We're going to bring back our jobs to Pennsylvania.

We're going to bring back our jobs to the United States. And then came Donald J. Trump. I mean, he put 20,000 people at our arena like it was a rock show. You know, folks were making signs for Donald Trump, not buying signs. They were making them. Amazing. A lot of them were first time voters. What great people. I didn't think he would win, but... I've looked at the numbers and I see what's happening in

Pennsylvania. I see what's happening all over our country, all over. It's the same. Manufacturing way down. I ran into a gentleman who had his young son down at the Capitol in Harrisburg, and the young son had a MAGA hat. And I said, I gotta ask you, I don't get it. A billionaire from Manhattan is connecting to working class people that I've lived with my whole life. I don't get the connection. He said, look, you could put half of Trump supporters into what I call the basket of deplorables. Hillary Clinton and the Democratic Party make me feel bad about myself. They're racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamophobic, you name it. Donald Trump makes me feel good about who I am.

I only have a high school education, but I got a good union job. I go to work every day, go to church on Sunday. I hunt, I fish, I'm pro-gun. Why am I a bad guy? Trump, he was able to connect and sincerely make people believe here in Luzerne County that he valued them. Thank you, everybody. Thank you. Thank you, everybody. Since Donald Trump won the last time. If you look at the numbers, Pennsylvania as a whole, six times more Republicans registered than Democrats since 2016. The Republicans have closed the voter registration gap with the Democrats by almost 200,000 voters.

And Senator Udichek, he's not surprised at those numbers. The condescending nature of I will decide what a good job is, I'll decide what a good life is for you. When you listen from his perspective to the Democratic Party right now, it's not a good brand for northeastern Pennsylvania. That it's talking down to voters, especially working class voters, telling them that because of the need to address climate change, they're going to need to lose their jobs in coal mines or in fracking. I don't know how I can go to those construction trade workers who are not just political supporters of mine. They're my friends. They're my neighbors. I know them. I know their families. I know their

kids and tell them that their job doesn't matter. Now, I'm a Democrat. I'm sorry. I got to turn my back on working families because they've changed the rules of the game. They've changed the platform of the party, and they no longer support working families. And I started to really feel, if I can't make a difference, if I can't fight and be the voice of people in Northeastern Pennsylvania in this caucus, maybe I need to do something else. And so last fall, heading into the 2020 campaign, I sat my father down and told him, look, we're really good at a lot of things as a stubborn Slovak family, but we're generally not too good at forgiveness. So I hope you remember

that as I lay this out. Udichek made a big decision. The one thing that you admonish me was never forget where you come from. Never forget the values of the folks that worked in the mines, that worked in the ditches, that get you the opportunity to work under the chandeliers of that beautiful state capital in Harrisburg. And I said, Dad, the party, the Democratic Party, has drifted away from those working class values. It's become more of a party of the elite. And I said, Dad, I'm leaving Democratic Party. I'm going to become an independent. There's no way I can do that job as a Democrat anymore

in that caucus and in the shift of the National Party and the state party. That simply won't let us in the room. He officially left the Democratic Party. What did your dad say when he was disappointed? Gave me a nice hug and he said, son, I'm proud of you, but by God, please don't go all the way to Republican until I die. Politics is math. You got to look at the demographics. You got to look at the statistics.

Nearly 90% of my district, 87%, has an education attainment level of a high school education. If the Democratic Party is only going to be of the college-educated elites, which is only 18% of my district, the math doesn't work. I'm going to lose a lot of elections. Even in his new role as an independent, Senator Yudicek is still supporting a Democrat for president. And the Democrat at the top of the ticket, Joe Biden, is someone who's a proud moderate, who's from Pennsylvania, and spent his career talking about the working class. Exactly the kind of profile to stop the bleeding of those voters to Donald Trump.

Is Trump going to win Luzerne County this year? That's the critical question of the election. My prediction today would be Donald Trump's going to win Luzerne County. But will the margin be as large as it was against Hillary? I don't believe it will be. And that could be the difference if Joe Biden wins Pennsylvania, if he can narrow the margin. Here's the thing about presidential politics, though. It's not necessarily about winning or losing a particular county. It's how much you lose by or how much you win by. And for Joe Biden, the goal here might just be to lose by less.

You know, grow up here in Scranton. We're used to guys who look down their nose at us, think that we're suckers. Look at us and they think that we were not equivalent to them. One week after we were there, Joe Biden came to Scranton for CNN town hall. Well, I tell you what bothered me to tell you the truth. Maybe it's my Scranton roots. I don't know. But when you guys started talking on television about Biden, if he wins, will be the first person without an Ivy League degree to be elected president. I'm thinking, who the hell makes you think I have to have an Ivy League degree to be president?

I really mean it. And there, he really started sharpening his closing pitch. Guys like me were the first in my family to go to college. Up here, my dad busted his neck. My dad came up here, worked here, lost his job like a lot of people did here. During it specifically to working class voters. We are as good as anybody else. And guys like Trump who inherited everything and squandered

what they inherited are the people that I've always had a problem with, not the people who are busting their neck. He framed the 2020 race as a choice. I think this whole campaign gets down to Park Avenue versus Scranton. Park Avenue versus Johnstown. Between his hometown of Scranton and Park Avenue. Look, I've dealt with guys like Trump my whole life. Guys who look down on us because they've got a lot of money, inherited it.

The New York world of Donald Trump. I see the world from where I grew up in Scranton. They're worried about the stock market. They're worried about putting food on the table every night. The question is, will it work? Wall Street didn't build this country. CEOs didn't. The middle class built America and unions built the middle class.

Can these lifelong Democrats who voted for Trump in 2016 be brought back? My dad used to say, Joey, a job's about a lot more than a paycheck. It's about your dignity. It's about respect. It's about your place in the community. That's what was missing today. Providing dignity to the work we do. Those are the values that shape my life. Let's go introduce, oh my god, they're playing softball in the back. Yeah, that looks very fun.

After we spoke to Senator Udichek, we took a drive. We are. Hey, how are you? Good morning. To the home of a guy named Dave Michko. Oh, that's my daughter. She's giving a pitching lesson, yeah. Could we take a look at your sign collection? Yeah, go ahead. He gave us a tour of his garage. You want to start in the front here?

Yeah. Okay, this sign here is a homemade sign with the Trump. It lights up at night. Where he spent a lot of the summer running a makeshift sign distribution operation for President Trump. My wife and kids helped me put them together here. He had all kinds of signs. And then I have the big ones here. Big ones, little ones, flags.

What's this one say? This one says, Trump 2020, fuck your feelings. If I'm allowed to say that, I don't know. You know, I was... And what else do I got here? And... You the one for the flag? Yes, sir.

He was busy. And this is where everybody gets their signs, right? Yeah, that's where everybody gets them. What's the busiest you've seen for signs? Cars lined up down the road. You couldn't even drive up the street. He started over the summer. I put a small little ad on social media, probably like the middle of June,

and I got rid of 3,000 signs like in a day and a half. And he says he's already given out 26,000 Trump signs. Did you have a Trump sign in your yard four years ago? No. But now you're the sign guy. I'm the sign guy. One of the reasons we wanted to talk to Dave is he's exactly the kind of voter

that Senator Udichek was talking about. And the same one Joe Biden is trying to peel back from President Trump. Were you a Democrat? Yes. He was a lifelong Democrat. He voted for Obama twice. Absolutely did. Yes? Yes. He was a lifelong Democrat. Vote for Obama twice. Absolutely did.

He did. Yes, I did. From a family of Democrats in a town full of Democrats. Not paying attention. I was just into the blue. This is Democrat area. It's solid blue.

And I was told what to vote. My parents, you know, whatever. This is what you vote for. That's it. Never thinking about anything, this and that. So that's the way we were raised. Yeah. By your Democrat. That's when you go to the voting poll. That's it. That's it. Never thinking about anything, this and that. So that's the way we were raised. Yeah. You're a Democrat. That's when you go to the voting call. That's it. You show you what to check and that's it. That's what you voted. And he very much has a blue collar

background that fits the profile of Northeastern Pennsylvania. I worked 20, 20 years in a factory right up there. My wife worked at the same place. I mean, almost everybody and their mother worked in this factory right up the road, which is being torn down now. The whole factory made CDs. Oh, it made everything. It made... Tell us about the factory. What was the company? Made the vinyl records. It made the VHS movies, Blu-rays, music, video games. You know, this was the largest employer in this Lackawanna County. In its boom time, about 4,500 people worked there. Various shifts. Everybody had a chance to work overtime. You made lots of money

there. But then the job started fizzling out. They started going to Mexico and China and everything. A lot of people lost their homes over it. Eventually, my job was eliminated, so I I had my own business landscaping. But he eventually had to stop because of health problems. I had a heart attack. I had a stroke. Now I have kidney disease. I have chronic lung disease. I have Meniere's disease. And he says when it comes to the problems he was facing. We didn't have health insurance. We couldn't afford the Obamacare. It was like $1,800. We couldn't afford it. It didn't seem to him like the Democrats he was voting for, election after election, were coming up with any solutions. So I don't know where they, they didn't help me out any. And then like 2016, it was like, you know, Donald Trump's running for president. I was like,

you gotta be kidding me, right? And I was like, you know, let's hear what he has to say. And then as soon as I heard him say America first, this and that, I said, I'm going to give him a chance. I voted for him as a Democrat. And then, you know, he started building his, you know, following through on some of his policies there. And then I think Trump is for the working class. Do you feel like Trump has delivered for this area in terms of jobs. Yeah. And it's true that before COVID, Pennsylvania had hit record low unemployment levels during the Trump administration. And even though Democrats might say this is partly due to Barack Obama's policies, Dave sees it as proof that Donald Trump has delivered.

Promises made, promises kept, you know. How do you feel about Biden and do you think that he is you know for the working class man and woman right now no i i really don't think so i i just don't see it i mean it's like he's like we said he's been there what 47 years he's done nothing he's done absolutely nothing for this area and then he comes back here like i mean i don't know i can't seem to have too much support. I mean, they say this is his hometown. Yeah, they say he's from here, right? Does that count for anything? Four points, absolutely not. He's done nothing for this area. And at the same time, David's become completely disillusioned with the Democratic Party.

It's like they want nothing to do with the people right now. Their biggest and main goal is to beat Donald Trump. That's what they're concentrating on. That's it. So we left the party. Me and my wife went down and we went Republican side and that's it. I take the Republican Party for the working class here. And Democrats are somewhere else. Let me just put it that way.

They're off somewhere else. Listening to Dave, you can tell that his break from the Democratic Party isn't just about policy. Do you get the feeling that the National Democrats sometimes look down on Trump voters? Oh, absolutely. Absolutely. You go to my Facebook page, I got the Democrat community. It's more personal. Yeah. Trump signs in your yard means you're retarded, this and that. It's visceral. It's cultural. People to this day call me a racist for supporting the president.

So now he's telling me, racist card won't work with me. You know, you can stick it right up your ass. The way he thinks about the Democratic Party and the way he thinks the Democratic Party thinks about him are fundamentally different, especially when it comes to race. I feel I'm the furthest thing from racist. And Dave is very clear. He is not a racist. I feel I'm the furthest thing from racist. And Dave is very clear. He is not a racist.

I help anybody. There used to be a poor guy. He used to ride the bus. He used to tie his bike to the bus. And he worked up one of the local factories here. And I think he had a flat tire. He's pushing his bike to work. And I stopped him and I said, where do you work?

And I gave him a ride to work. I took his bike here. I fixed his tire for him. And I met him back at his workstation. Same guy I used to see walking in the rain. I didn't pick him up and give him a ride to work. I took his bike here, I fixed his tire for him, and I met him back at his workstation. Same guy I used to see walking in the rain. I didn't pick him up and give him a ride to work. I mean, that's racist. You know, I watched baseball when it was being played.

To me, I think 90% of them were black, right? But what, in your mind, what makes a racist? What makes a racist? Like, like, what makes a racist? What makes a racist? Like, who would you say is racist? I mean, if somebody comes right out and blatantly expresses their hate towards one religion or color or something like that, that's the way I would look at it. You know what I mean? Did you see that video, the George Floyd video? What did you, I don't think it's the police officer's fault.

I don't know. Like I said, I didn't see the true autopsy report. I'm hearing rumors or whatever's on Facebook or whatever. He was loaded up on fentanyl. I mean, people are saying, oh, the cop murdered him. I don't see it that way. Could have happened to anybody at any time, you know. It could have been the other way around.

Black guy with the white, you know, black cop with the white guy, you know. You wouldn't see a big movement on that. Do you think Trump is racist? Do you think, because some people critique him as racist. A lot of people consider him racist. Like I said, my definition of racist is somebody who shows pure hatred, which I don't know anybody like that. You know, like, it's just getting bad. I mean, they want to take syrup off the shelves now.

They want to take butter off the shelves. They want to take this out of the supermarket. Really? Come on. It's too far. It's kind of way too far. I don't believe in it. I think people are just getting way too far out of hand with all this. So Donald Trump's campaign clearly knows that for him to win again, he's going to need a lot more Dave Michkos. 80% of the news out there is fake.

This is Andy Mills with Elise Spiegel. And we are in Old Forge, Pennsylvania, just outside of Scranton, at a Trump rally. And that's the thing about Pennsylvania. It's a state with a lot more white, working class people, many of whom didn't vote in 2016. The rally is going to start in a couple of hours, and people are lining this street with a lot of American flags. So Andy and Elise went to one of many Trump events in northeastern Pennsylvania. There are bikers for Trump.

There's moms for Trump. To see if the campaign is finding them. You say first! America! First! America! Can you describe the scene that we're in here? Well, I mean, it's a I would say an orderly bunch of folks.

I would say it's reflective of more of a middle working class group. I don't see many three-piece suits around here. And I think, I was just listening to the news, that that seems to be the shift. The Republican Party was always kind of of the, you know, the more business person and whatever. And the Democrat Party was more for the working class kind of average Joe, if you will. You know, no pun intended, Joe Biden. But I think there's a shift going on.

I was a Democrat. I turned Republican. When did that happen for you? I just turned this year. This year? I've been a diehard Democrat. My biggest fear of dying is telling St. Peter I voted for Obama. I'm a union construction worker. I'm not going to say we're trade,

but I talk to carpenters, electricians, steel workers, and plumbers, and masons. And I'd say 85 to 90% of us want Trump. Most of the union tradesmen, they want Trump, and they vote for Trump exactly like in 2016, because I talked to a lot of them. Were you a Democrat as well? I was, yes. What was it that made you change? I liked what Trump had to say.

I now like what he has done. And I work as a volunteer for the Trump campaign. You do? Yes. Has anything that's happened in the last few months swayed your support or changed your mind in any way? It's made it stronger. How do you feel like he's done in handling the pandemic that's going on?

Well, they want him to be a miracle worker, and there's no miracles for this. He did the best that he could with the information that he had. He's a president. He has to please a bunch of people. He has to please millions of people. He tries to. You know, like, how can you do that? You can't make everyone happy. So what else could he possibly do? There's things he did wrong because he didn't know what it was. It's not Trump's fault that this

happened. This didn't come from Trump. And he shouldn't be the one being penalized by it. I mean, it came out of nowhere. I think the big thing he did was China. He stopped the thing and everybody else was saying, in fact, Biden said, you can't do that. You're a racist. You know, you stop the Chinese from coming in. Oh, look at that racist. And how about the things that have been happening this summer with the protests in the wake of the killing of George Floyd? Peaceful protests or the riots? Yeah, which one? There's a difference. Yeah. So there's businesses. My family owns a difference. So there's businesses. My family owns a small business.

There's businesses that are busting their butts in order to make a living. And for people to go and just burn down the buildings just because of their beliefs, like, it's not fair. That's just not right. Why aren't the Democrats addressing all these riots? Why aren't they doing anything about it? All I hear is racist, racist, racist, racist, racist. Is everybody

in this country racist? I mean, all the problems are racist. There's racism, but, and we do need to correct that. I'm not against that, but it's not to the degree that everyone's blowing it up to be. I think it's kind of blown out of proportion. What is your thoughts about the Democratic Party and Joe Biden in particular right now? If Biden wins, it's going to be a lot of jobs lost. A lot of money lost. Biden wants to get rid of all the energy jobs. What's happened to Joe Biden is that he's become a whole lot less moderate. He's become a whole lot less centrist.

The more and more that we're seeing of Biden, God love him, you know what I mean? He's lost a stepper to it. I question anybody who can honestly say that he's capable or fit to lead. And so you're just saying that you're going to put him in there and then let somebody like Nancy Pelosi call the shots. And if you don't think that we're getting Nancy Pelosi instead of Joe Biden, you're wrong. How concerned would you be if Joe Biden won in November? Very concerned. Joe Biden won in November. Very concerned.

In the end, a lot of the people lining the streets at the Trump event seem to be former Democrats who'd been won over by Trump the last time. But beyond those streets, there are potentially even more voters that Trump could activate. And Trump's narrowing shot at re-election depends on finding them. This is both his problem and his pathway. And Trump's narrowing shot at re-election depends on finding them. This is both his problem and his pathway. Political demographers estimate there are about 2.4 million white voters without college degrees, essentially the demographic of Trump's base, who didn't vote in 2016. In other words, he still has room to grow. Here's what else you need to nerdy.

My husband and I are eternally grateful to everyone who put themselves in harm's way to keep our family safe. On Thursday, the FBI charged 13 men with terrorism, conspiracy, and weapons charges, and said that at least six of them had planned to kidnap the governor of Michigan, Gretchen Whitmer. to kidnap the governor of Michigan, Gretchen Whitmer. According to the FBI, the men had surveilled Whitmer's vacation home over the summer and indicated that they wanted to take her hostage before the election. Whitmer, who has become the focus of conservative anger over government rules and restrictions during the pandemic,

said that she was stunned by the plot. When I put my hand on the Bible and took the oath of office 22 months ago, I knew this job would be hard. But I'll be honest, I never could have imagined anything like this. And President Trump has rejected a plan for the next debate, scheduled for October 15th, to be staged remotely because of his infection, calling it ridiculous. In response, Joe Biden called for the debate to be delayed by a week,

a plan that the Trump campaign appears open to. Thank you. Chris Wood, Jessica Chung, Stella Tan, Alexandra Lee Young, Lisa Chow, Eric Krupke, Mark George, Luke Vanderplu, Kelly Prime, Sindhu Yanasambandhan, MJ Davis-Lynn, Austin Mitchell, Nina Patuk, Dan Powell, Dave Shaw, Sydney Harper, Daniel Guimet, Hans Butow, Robert Chimison, Mike Benoit, Our theme music is by Special thanks to Sam Dolnick, Michaela Bouchard, Lauren Jackson, Julia Simon, Nora Keller, Mahima Chabrani, and Des Ibequa. That's it for The Daily. I'm Michael Barbaro. See you on Monday.