Casey’s Scranton legacy on full display as voters show up in droves for final push

What questions do you have about the 2024 elections? What major issues do you want candidates to address? Let us know.

Voters warmly welcomed incumbent U.S. Sen. Bob Casey on his way to cast his ballot at Scranton High School Tuesday morning as he greeted volunteers.

“I will say this: People in this region have been very supportive of me for a long time and I’m grateful for that,” the three-term senator told WHYY News as he walked into the polling site.

A Scranton native and son of former Gov. Bob Casey Sr., Bob Casey had dozens of supporters cheering, “Casey country!” as the senator, his wife Terese and family approached.

“They’ve been supporting me, they supported my father before me,” said Casey as he explained he hopes that support will win him a fourth term in the U.S. Senate. “We were blessed, blessed to have that support and I got a couple more hours to keep earning that support.”

Outside the school, Casey supporters blasted music, waved signs, cheered and shouted.

Scranton native Mari Donnelly said the Casey family is well known by many in the area. She shared that her mother was a Republican voter but switched parties to vote for Casey Senior. Donnelly admitted she was afraid that the legacy would end if Republican opponent David McCormick wins Tuesday night’s election.

“I’m scared all the way around but this is Casey Country,” Donnelly said. “We love him and wish the best.”

Canvass for Casey

Adam Craine is one of many out-of-state volunteers who traveled from other blue regions in hopes of helping sway Pennsylvania voters toward a Democratic party victory.

“We canvassed for the laborers and some of the IBEW guys yesterday and went door to door,” said Craine, who traveled from his home state of Maryland in hopes of getting votes in Scranton.

“So what I learned coming out here is that what you hear, what was interesting to me is that when I went door to door and we canvassed for three days, getting the vote out when you talk to the voters, it’s a big disconnect,” said Craine, who claims that many voters he talked to were fired up after recent comments made by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.

“What I learned from talking to the voters, the Democratic voters were fired at the base,” Craine said. “The union guys are voting for Harris and Casey because they know that Trump and the Republicans are screwing over the working man.”

“Casey is for the working man,” Craine yelled as the senator walked by.

The Black vote

Glynis Johns was born and raised in the city of Scranton and is the founder and CEO of Black Scranton Project.

Johns said she feels rejuvenated this election with a Black woman presidential candidate and enjoyed  John Legend in Scranton last weekend to garner support for Harris and Casey, “So it was an incredible moment for our city for Black voters, for Black residents here, local history and national history,” Johns said.

Johns said Black residents make up a small portion of the population.

“There’s a lot at stake on the ballot and I think in this city it’s really, really hard for us to be represented fully because we’re only 5% of the population,” but believes Casey has been an ally and said he invited her to the state capitol to honor Black leaders. “Casey has been someone who has seen the work I’ve been doing when no one else has seen the work I’m doing.”

Johns says she believes that Harris will be a real game changer for Black people in her community.

“So when we have a historic moment, like Kamala, I think we do really need to show up because she’s someone that’s going to see us and make sure that we’re not going to keep being discriminated against,” Johns said.

“We’re not going to keep facing a lot of these biases and like, we’ll make our way to an equitable space,” Johns said. “I think that’s what the city needs a lot.”

Scranton school board president Ty Holmes was also on hand to cast his ballot for Casey.

“I had conversations with my grandparents and they remember not having the right to vote,” said Holmes, who reiterated the importance for him and other Black men to vote in this election.

“I always tell people I’m not going to try to sway you. I’ll have a basic conversation with you and debate the facts,” Holmes said. “I lived through the ‘80s when the Central Park Five incident happened. I remember what he (Trump) did; my father was a police officer who reminded me about being cautious and careful. And I tell people you can’t come back from something like that.”

“I always say to men of color, do your due diligence, do your work, research,” Holmes said. “Truly, if you can come back and say this is the best candidate for yourself while I will say ‘OK, you’re free to make your choice.’”

Student voters

The University of Scranton wanted to ensure students had access to the polls.

The university’s Royals Vote initiative provided transportation to and from campus to Scranton High School, where Tyler Hutchins is a freshman and first-time voter.

“I only very recently started paying more attention to politics because once I realized I could vote, I kind of realized that I have a bigger stake in the world around me,” Hutchins said after casting his vote for Harris.

Last-minute push

Casey hopes first-time voters like Hutchins will bring even more votes across the Democratic ticket.

Speaking to voters, Casey made a last-minute push for some key issues.

“The people of our state should also expect that if I’m successful in the election we can move forward with a robust child tax credit and a middle-class tax cut, which will help families deal with these higher prices by these predatory companies across the country,” Casey said.

Casey, who has been considered by some residents a friend of the Scranton working class, reiterated his opposition to big business and a plan to stop it.

“Big multinational corporations are screwing working families, jacking up the cost of food and household items and there’s no action by the federal government against them because we have to pass a price gouging bill to do that,” Casey said.

When asked about his stance on how to reduce gun violence in Philly, he pivoted to the issues that affect the economy and the commonwealth as a whole. “Well, first and foremost, whether it’s in Philadelphia or anywhere in our 67 counties, the people in our state and the people of our country want us to continue to take action to lower costs.

Casey reiterated his action to reduce the cost of insulin and tax cuts: “The people of our state should also expect that if I’m successful in the election we can move forward with a robust child tax credit and a middle-class tax cut, which will help families deal with these higher prices by these predatory companies across the country.“

Casey had a few words to share with “on the fence” voters.

“They have an equal share in our democracy,” he said. “The most powerful person in the country has the same vote as the person without power. So, everyone has a chance to make a difference.”