Washington — Pennsylvania is a critical battleground state for both Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump in the 2024 election, and both candidates and their running mates have been blitzing the Keystone State for months.
Pennsylvania, the fifth-most populous state with 13 million people, has 19 electoral votes. That's the most electoral votes of any battleground state.
A winner won't be known quickly in Pennsylvania
Results in Pennsylvania likely won't be known on Election Night. Pennsylvania law doesn't allow the early processing of mail-in ballots, which dragged out the state's 2020 ballot counting process. Pennsylvania election officials are bracing themselves for conspiracy theories and protests.
"Elections in Pennsylvania have never been more safe and secure with a voter verified paper ballot record of every vote that's cast, whether you vote in person on Election Day or you vote by mail," Al Schmidt, a Republican and the state's top election official, told "60 Minutes" in October.
What to know about Pennsylvania
Trump won Pennsylvania in 2016, and President Biden, who was born in Pennsylvania, won it in 2020. The state, which is really a commonwealth, has a strong cohort of White, blue-collar workers, as well as a diverse population in Philadelphia. Unions still have a strong presence in Pennsylvania, especially in the western part of the state.
Major issues in Pennsylvania
- Fracking is a big issue in Pennsylvania, and Harris has walked back her anti-fracking stances of earlier campaigns, telling voters that she would not ban it. Trump in Pennsylvania has emphasized his support for fracking, and bashed Harris on the issue. Energy issues are particularly important to Pennsylvania voters, given the state's heavy concentration of coal, nuclear, natural gas and renewable energy jobs.
- Like it is across the country, inflation and the cost of living are top issues for Pennsylvania voters.
Major races in Pennsylvania
- Aside from the presidential race, the most-watched race in Pennsylvania is the U.S. Senate race between incumbent Democratic Sen. Bob Casey and Republican David McCormick. A CBS News/YouGov poll from late October showed Casey with a lead of 48% to 42% over McCormick.
- Pennsylvania has three House races the Cook Political Report considers toss-ups: Democratic Rep. Susan Wild vs. Republican challenger and state Rep. Ryan Mackenzie in Pennsylvania's 7th district; Democratic Rep. Matt Cartwright vs. Republican Rob Bresnahan in Pennsylvania's 8th district; and Republican Rep. Scott Perry vs. Democratic challenger Janelle Stelson in Pennsylvania's 10th district.
Pennsylvania polling
As of late October, polls showed Harris and Trump virtually tied in the state. A September CBS News/YouGov poll showed Harris with 50% of the vote in Pennsylvania and Trump with 50%.
What time do the polls close in Pennsylvania?
Polling places in Pennsylvania closed at 8 p.m. ET across the state.