MattHardigree (@MattHardigree) / X

MattHardigree

4,573 posts

MattHardigree

@MattHardigree

Autopian publisher.

New York, NY

Joined January 2007

MattHardigree
@MattHardigree
Oct 13, 2024
I door-knocked today for the Harris campaign in Bucks County, PA, one of the most important counties in one of the most important states. I've done a lot of door-knocking in a lot of elections, including this cycle, but what I saw definitely changed my view of this race.
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MattHardigree
@MattHardigree
Oct 13, 2024
Replying to @MattHardigree
She wasn't on my list, but she was all-in on Harris. She couldn't imagine anyone voting for Trump. This was the first time I heard this from a Republican, but it wouldn't be the last time. The more doors I hit, the more Republicans or former Republicans I met who said the same.
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MattHardigree
@MattHardigree
Oct 13, 2024
Replying to @MattHardigree
Of course, this is just a single day covering about 90-100 doors. But it was also a persuasion run. We were hitting Ds but also had a list that included Independents and even a few Republicans who were considered possibly persuadable. Only had one pro-Trump door the whole day.
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MattHardigree
@MattHardigree
Oct 13, 2024
Replying to @MattHardigree
Older women are extremely active and looking for a fight. At one door I was looking for the daughter and the mom asked me if I was there for Harris or Trump. I said Harris and she said "Good! I keep getting mail from Trump and I keep ripping it up!"
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MattHardigree
@MattHardigree
Oct 13, 2024
Replying to @MattHardigree
Overall (TL/DR), Dems are motivated, not a single Independent was voting for Trump and instead voting for Harris, moderate Republicans were all voting Harris. Other than the first door I didn't meet a single Trump voter.
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MattHardigree
@MattHardigree
Oct 13, 2024
Replying to @MattHardigree
I met an older Jewish gun-owner, a Republican who became Independent in January 2020. I met parents who were registered Republicans but whose daughters became engaged and persuaded them to vote Harris. They asked me to put up a yard sign for them.
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MattHardigree
@MattHardigree
Oct 13, 2024
Replying to @MattHardigree
This isn't what I expected. This is a 50/50 county and the part we were in skewed Republican. My cousins Joe and Deb, who are wonderful, help organize this area and know their community well. It's a good community full of hardworking, nice folk, but it's not an easy one for Dems.
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MattHardigree
@MattHardigree
Oct 13, 2024
Replying to @MattHardigree
We're so lucky to have people like my cousins Deb and Joe. Lovely people who became politically active after 2016 and are doing the hard work every day to win this election in a place that isn't always easy.
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MattHardigree
@MattHardigree
Oct 13, 2024
Replying to @MattHardigree
She was hilarious and had whipped her family into caring about voting. She even had her mail ballot and was going to return it to a drop box so she made sure her vote counted. These are high propensity voters and they're voting early.
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MattHardigree
@MattHardigree
Oct 13, 2024
Replying to @MattHardigree
I was surprised that the Republicans and Independents were actually the most excited about the election and felt strongly about voting for Harris. Democrats were mostly split into two groups: Older women and younger families.
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MattHardigree
@MattHardigree
Oct 13, 2024
Replying to @MattHardigree
When I got there I saw a lot of Trump signs. Their house stood out because it had a giant Harris-Walz sign, albeit one that was slashed by three men in hoodies a few nights before. It's a street fight out here.
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MattHardigree
@MattHardigree
Oct 13, 2024
Replying to @MattHardigree
Dems are active and voting by mail ballot and taking nothing by chance. There are a lot of Trump signs and I think it'll still be close, but a lot of people were happy to tell me they were voting Harris even if they didn't want their neighbors to know.
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MattHardigree
@MattHardigree
Oct 13, 2024
Replying to @MattHardigree
Younger Dems, especially those with kids, are calling relatives and getting people to vote but they're also more nervous. Very few wanted signs and multiple people told me it was because they were afraid of their "Trumper neighbors." All the signs made them nervous.
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MattHardigree
@MattHardigree
Oct 13, 2024
Replying to @MattHardigree
And they also want signs, partially because they don't want to be intimidated by their Trump-supporting neighbors. This is pretty much the opposite of the experience I had with young Dems and Dem families.
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