YORK/LANCASTER/NEWBURGH/BUTLER, Pa.—With its 19 electoral votes, Pennsylvania is shaping up to be the most critical swing state in the 2024 election for both major candidates.

In 2016, Pennsylvania—along with the rest of the Rust Belt—slotted into former President Donald Trump’s column, delivering him a sweeping Electoral College win. In 2020, the state swung to Biden.

Pennsylvania carries the most electoral votes of any state considered a swing state. The next closest are North Carolina and Georgia, with 16 electoral votes apiece.

The Epoch Times spoke to some of the Keystone State’s voters, traveling across eastern and southern Pennsylvania and the outskirts of Philadelphia. Here’s what they told us.

Several Pennsylvanians indicated frustration with the current election, and the two-party system more broadly.

Susan Diehl, a gas station employee in Newburg, seemed jaded with politics.

“Why can’t they just tell the truth about whatever they’re going to do or not do? I always feel that politicians, all of them, lie just to get elected,” she said.

The Epoch Times found mixed signs of support for both candidates.

Several independents indicated they have frustrations with Trump and his trademark communication style, which they described as too abrasive.

Many said they were ultimately undecided, and expressed dissatisfaction with both candidates.

Dave Brueggeman, a 60-year-old Army veteran from York, hasn’t made a decision yet.

Brueggeman, who described himself as “a Democrat, but ... not the kind of Democrat today,” said that he had initially planned to vote for Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who was running as an independent before recently dropping out and backing Trump.

Following Kennedy’s departure from the race, Brueggeman said, “I’m not sure about Trump, I’m just not sure. I haven’t really made up my mind yet completely.”

Brueggeman thinks Harris will ultimately win the race—a situation he said would dissatisfy many, but which he blamed on the two-party system.

Brueggeman said he hopes both candidates will pursue Social Security reforms, specifically in changing the rules around how much income Social Security recipients can make each month.

Lawrence Clark, a 52-year-old from Mt. Wolf, says he’s also still weighing his options, but the lifelong Democrat said one thing is certain: he won’t be voting for Harris.

“I don’t think she’s as qualified as Trump. Trump already has experience,” Clark said.

Clark was among those released from prison under Trump’s First Step Act, which allowed inmates to reduce their sentence by accumulating “good behavior” credits.

“The economy was better when [Trump] was in office,” Clark said.

He says he’s hopeful that the next president will continue to pursue criminal justice reform, and believes Trump will do so.

Downtown York, Pa., on Sept. 5, 2024. (Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times)

Marco Ceo, a 45-year-old from eastern Pennsylvania, says he’s leaning toward voting for Harris and that he dislikes Trump’s “edge.”

On the other hand, Ceo indicated ambivalence about Harris’s executive experience, noting it’s one area in which Trump has Harris beat.

“I think she has some experience there. And clearly the Republican candidate has experience being the former president, but ... I like inspiration more than bullying,” Ceo said.

These considerations, Ceo said, have left him “really torn” about who to vote for.

Ceo was critical of the “non-stop assault with campaign messaging” directed at independents in crucial swing states like him. The ads, he said, don’t respect the intelligence of voters.

He hopes that the candidates will look more into rising tuition costs, which he says have taken a toll on his family’s finances.

Among those more open to Harris, some expressed a feeling of resignation.

Zach Miller, a 43-year-old from Lancaster, said that he’s primarily motivated to vote against Trump, rather than a preference for Harris.

“She doesn’t evoke any strong emotion from my being whatsoever,” the Pennsylvanian said of the vice president.

Zach Miller, 43, works at a food truck on a bar rooftop in Lancaster, Pa., on Sept. 5, 2024. (Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times)

Mikki Breitmos was once a labor union Democrat. She left the party 18 years ago, however, and now has decided on Trump.

“I think that he is more of a businessman than a politician, and that’s why I voted for him the last time,” she said.

She expressed hope that Trump will tone down the rhetoric—and expressed optimism that former First Lady Melania Trump could help on that front.

“I feel that maybe with Melania’s influence, he would direct himself away from that and then make the country whole again,” Breitmos said.

Michael Nicolazzo, a 92-year-old Korean War veteran, has seen many presidential elections come and go in his lifetime. But his first time voting in one came in 2016, when he cast his ballot for Trump.

Nicolazzo lost his pension due to a clerical error and later a fire that destroyed his service records, but says he hopes Trump will be able to help during a second term.

“Nobody’s helped me. And I think Trump could be the only one, because he likes veterans,” Nicolazzo said.