Disgruntled Democrats quitting to join GOP in Pennsylvania

Updated
Pennsylvania Democrats Are Flocking to the Republican Party
Pennsylvania Democrats Are Flocking to the Republican Party

Conservative-leaning Democrats in Pennsylvania are flocking to the Republican Party in droves, and it's helping Donald Trump big-time.

More than 60,000 Democrats from the state have turned to the Republican Party, and many have registered to vote for Trump in Tuesday's upcoming primary.

SEE ALSO: Trump: Republican rivals Cruz, Kasich 'colluding' to block him

The left to right shift completely dwarfs the GOP to Democratic shift. Only 29,000 Republicans have changed sides. President Barack Obama won the state both in 2008 and 2012.

Pennsylvania's 71 GOP delegates make it the crown jewel of states among Tuesday's five primaries, and polls are predicting it'll be a big win for Trump — some polls show Trump with about 50 percent of the vote.

RELATED: See what happened when one recent Trump rally took a violent turn

One expert told The Patriot‑News there are likely three reasons for the shift:

  • Trump's appeal to working-class, blue-collar workers

  • Democrats who believe the party's moved too far left

  • Conservatives who've finally decided it was time to disaffiliate.

"The Democrats, even though they have the majority in terms of registration in the state, people do not vote that way," Professor Jerry Shuster of the University of Pittsburgh told KDKA.

A Republican last won Pennsylvania in the general election in 1988.

Advertisement