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Oct. 31 – Scranton – Ahead of next week’s midterm elections, BBC World News US anchor Laura Trevelyan asked Scranton’s mayor on Monday why the city is often called the center of the political world.
Broadcasting from the fifth floor of Brennan Hall at the University of Scranton, overlooking the city, Trevelyan interviewed Mayor Paige Gebhardt Cognetti and others as they provided international and domestic audiences with President Joe Biden’s hometown in this key battleground state perspective.
“It’s the center of a lot of voters that people come to talk to, and people here really think about their votes,” Cognetti said of Scranton. “They want people to tell them truthfully what they’re going to do for them, and I think one of the reasons Pennsylvania is a swing state is that voters here are really looking for candidates who are honest with them.”
Those voters will pour into the polls on Nov. 8 in an election that will determine the state’s next governor and the balance of power in Congress. Trevelyan said that foreign audiences are very interested.
“After all the drama in the 2020 election and the results, yes, there’s a lot of interest in that because if Democrats lose control of their tiny majority, of course President Biden’s ability to pass his agenda will go a long way. decreased,” she told The Times.
“The importance of the midterm elections, President Donald Trump’s continued influence on his party, all of these things are closely watched by our audience,” she continued. “And, by coming to Scranton, this swing state, Pennsylvania, it’s a way of exploring all these big things.”
Trevelyan asked Lackawanna County Republican Chairman Dan Naylor about the 2020 election.
“Pennsylvania, a state where Donald Trump narrowly lost to Joe Biden, has a number of Republican officials running for statewide office who say the election was stolen, including your gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano ,”she says. “Does it hurt you too, because voters just want to keep going?”
Naylor said the 2020 election is over and he believes most voters do want to move on.
“We need to make sure that when we take future policy, we address any concerns, but we can’t go back to 2020,” he said. “Let’s move on.”
Others Trevelyan interviewed Monday included Times-Tribune columnist Chris Kelly; Penn Paper President Douglas Fink; Penn State Democratic Political Director Shavonnia Corbin-Johnson; and University of Scranton political science professor Dr. Jean Harris.
Trevelyan also reported over the weekend in Scranton, interviewing spectators at the Lackawanna College Falcons football game. There, fans discussed the impact of inflation, rising rent and grocery prices, and access to abortion services—all issues that could motivate voters.
The anchor spoke to Backyard Ale House chef James Bodnar on Saturday, who has yet to decide how he will vote next week. Trevelyan said Monday that Bodnar, who voted for Trump in 2016 and Biden in 2020, is the “elusive” swing voter BBC World News hopes to find in Scranton.
Arriving on Monday, Bodnar confirmed he was still undecided, but thought the economy and inflation were the issues most likely to affect who he voted for on Nov. 8.
“For me, it’s crazy to see … some of my colleagues have to find a second job to survive,” he said. “It’s a big problem for me. I think everyone deserves a living wage.”
Contact the author: jhorvath@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9141; @jhorvathTT on Twitter.
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