Few people were reportedly in attendance at a Joe Biden rally in Philadelphia on Wednesday, despite Pennsylvania being an important swing state for him to win.
Photos showing vast spaces of emptiness at the Philadelphia rally began to circulate on Wednesday from New York Post reporter Steven Nelson.
Photos from President Biden's Philadelphia rally: the school's gym is only about half full of supporters
A good amount of space is empty and spacious press workspace takes up the rest pic.twitter.com/et70d2lpCD
— Steven Nelson (@stevennelson10) May 29, 2024
Pennsylvania represents one of the many swing states Biden would have to win to defeat former President Trump in November. As the Hill recently noted, Pennsylvania has slowly shifted from being a reliable stronghold for the incumbent to a state in play.
A New York Times/Siena College/Philadelphia Inquirer poll out earlier this month showed Biden’s support among young voters in the state has slipped since 2020 from 62 percent to 47 percent. And his backing from Black and Hispanic voters has also waned from 71 percent to 57 percent.
The Times/Siena/Inquirer survey also showed Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) — who is running for reelection against Republican Dave McCormick — outrunning Biden by as many as 10 points.
Former Rep. Jason Altmire (D-PA) admitted to being surprised by the polls.
“I’m surprised that things aren’t going so well,” Altmire told the Hill. “If there’s any place where he should be doing well or better than President Trump, it’s Pennsylvania because of the personal connection, because of the work he’s been putting in for decades, and because the state is trending blue.”
“I think he’s doing everything he can do. They’ve pulled out all the stops,” he added.