Thousands of Pennsylvania Democrats switched their voter registration in the first half of the year to become Republicans, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported.
More than 8,100 Democrats changed their voter registration to Republican in the state's western Allegheny, Armstrong, Butler, Beaver, Washington, and Westmoreland counties, according to Pennsylvania Department of State data, while less than a third of that number switched from Republican to Democrat. Across the entire Keystone State, more than 38,000 Democrats switched parties this year.
A blue exodus has taken place across the United States in the last year. As gas and food prices have skyrocketed under the Biden administration, more than a million voters across 43 states have left the Democratic Party and registered as Republicans.
Washington County Republican Party chair Dave Ball told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette life-long Democrats are switching parties because they are displeased with the Biden administration. The president’s approval rating hit a record low of 37 percent last month, according to RealClearPolitics's polling data.
"I think the prevailing mood is: It’s OK to be a Republican," Ball said.