A few notes on Cambria County PA, where President Trump is about to kick off an outdoor rally ...

First, it's one of those ancestral union Democrat areas that has gone red as unions waned and issues like trade, guns, abortion, coal, energy have become more uniform across parties.

In many ways a precursor to the Luzernes/Lackawannas/Eries that shocked Dems in 16

You drive around there and see so many Trump flags, you can forget for a minute what the polls show about the wider state.
The intensity is real. This rally is very much a base play for Trump tonight - trying to squeeze more out of a place where he's already strong

Walked into the GOP HQ there with a mask on and it was like a record scratch.
You don't need a mask, one volunteer said, "we don't deal with Democrats here"

That said, the 2 Trump supporters I met there who had doubts this year (there were very few) both said his handling of COVID was the reason they were unsure.
But they really didn't like Dems. Thought Ds were dividing the country.

The Northern end of the county is also among the most beautiful, and rural, places I've been.
Winding roads and mountain views like you think only exist in car commercials.

It's 5x the area of Philly, less than 10% of the population.

It's a bit of Appalachia in PA.
Very anti-abortion. First day of buck season off of school.
Lots of Catholics who love what Trump has done in Israel.

One Cambria County woman's entire explanation for her vote:
“I’m for guns, against abortion”

It's a place that has truly been hit hard. Everyone talks about the past - Flood of 77. When the mills ran 3 shifts.
Losing 100+ ppl per month.
“Everyone had to leave to big cities for work” one man said. “Not everyone goes to a four-year college and gets an engineering degree.”

Dem presidential vote share in Cambria:
00: 50% (D win)
04: 49%
08: 49% (D win)
12: 40%
16: 30%