Eliyahu Gasson | opinions editor

The Democratic ballot

Kamala Harris

Vice President Kamala Harris came into office in 2020. Before that, she served as a U.S. senator for the state of California from 2017 to 2021, the attorney general of California from 2011 to 2017 and the district attorney of San Francisco from 2004 to 2011.

Lowering costs for families

Harris’ campaign says they want to cut taxes for middle-class families by restoring and expanding the Child Tax Credit and the Earned Income Tax Credit. Her campaign is also promising to expand credits for Affordable Care Act health care plans and lowering prescription drug costs. She’s also pledging to invest in clean electricity production to lower the cost of household energy bills, alongside an expansion of tax credits for energy-efficient home upgrades.
Housing

Harris has said she would provide $25,000 to first-time home buyers for down payments and expand the affordable housing supply through tax credits and incentives to build 3 million new homes.

“That $25,000 credit basically reduces the cost of buying homes at face value, but that also means that the sellers can mark costs up by another $25,000,” said Pavel Yakovlev, associate professor of economics at Duquesne University.

Yakovlev also expressed concerns about a potential Harris administration’s ability to build 3 million new homes, particularly due to regulations in place, which are mainly managed by local governments.

The economy

Harris wants to build what her campaign calls an “opportunity economy.” Her plan includes expanding the start-up expense tax deduction for small businesses and removing bureaucratic barriers to help them grow.

“It’s welcoming to hear that Harris is finally addressing this issue, but I’m somewhat skeptical that this will happen,” Yakovlev said. “This is a somewhat new message from Democrats because they’ve been responsible for increasing regulatory frameworks.”

Another major economic policy she has proposed is investing in American manufacturing and technology, so the country maintains global economic leadership and secure jobs. Harris has said she would crack down on corporate price gouging to bring down the price of everyday goods. She has also pledged to protect and strengthen Social Security and Medicare.

Reproductive rights

Harris has taken a hard stand on reproductive rights. She has said she would veto a national abortion ban and pass a bill from Congress that would restore the right to abortion nationwide.

“… if you think you are protected from Trump abortion bans because you live in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Nevada, New York, California or any other state where voters or legislators have protected reproductive freedom, please know: No one is protected,” Harris said at a rally in Houston on Saturday.

Civil rights

Harris has made a point to protect and expand voting rights in the U.S., saying she would pass the John Lewis Voting Rights and the Freedom to Vote acts, laws which will more strongly protect voting rights, expand mail-in-voting and early voting.

She has also promised to pass the Equality Act to enshrine anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ+ Americans in health care, housing and education.

Bob Casey

U.S. Sen. Bob Casey has held his seat since 2007. He previously served a three-year term as the treasurer of Pennsylvania and was the commonwealth’s auditor general from 1997-2005.

The economy

Casey has argued that the biggest issue facing Pennsylvanians is corporate greed. He has introduced legislation in the past that addressed price gouging and “shrinkflation,” whereby manufacturers shrink their products while charging the same price.

Immigration

Casey voted in favor of the Border Act of 2024 which was killed by Senate Republicans earlier this year. He has spoken in favor of securing the southern border and has supported an increase in the number of border patrol agents, fencing and screening technology for fentanyl.

Reproductive rights

Casey was against the Supreme Court overturn of Roe v. Wade which protected the right to an abortion. He has also said that he is opposed to abortion bans and voted in favor of the Women’s Health Protection Act in 2022, legislation which would restore nationwide access to abortion.

Summer Lee

U.S. Rep. Summer Lee served as a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from Jan. 2019 to Dec. 2022 and has held her current seat in The House since Jan. 2023.

Voting and democracy

Lee has campaigned on improving access to voting for disenfranchised groups, especially people of color. She supports federal automatic voter registration, nationwide early and mail voting, federal holidays for election days and same-day voter registration. She is also in favor of campaign finance reform and has been endorsed by End Citizens United, which aims to repeal Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, a Supreme Court ruling which permits the spending of unlimited funds on campaign advertising so long as advertisers are not formally connected with a candidate or political party.

Gun violence

Lee is campaigning on an assault weapons ban, expanded background checks and ending legal protections for corporate gun manufacturers. She led the passage of legislation which established the Office of Gun Violence Prevention within the Department of Justice, which opened a month later.

Veterans

Lee cosponsored the Sgt. Isaac Woodard Jr. and Sgt. Joseph H. Maddox G.I. Bill Restoration Act in Congress, which would provide Black Veterans of WWII and their descendants benefit from the G.I. Bill.

Spencer Thomas | editor-in-chief

The Republican ballot

Donald Trump

Former President Donald Trump built a fortune as real estate mogul in New York City, before turning to politics, winning the 2016 presidential election over Hillary Clinton. He served as commander-in-chief for four years, before losing to Joe Biden in the 2020 Election. He runs in 2024 having yet to concede that contest.

Immigration

Trump is an enigma because nobody knows what he will say when he gets on the stage for a rally. The shock value is what makes him so engaging. However, in the 2024 campaign, there is one guarantee, and it is that he will discuss immigration. Trump promises to “carry out the largest deportation operation in the country’s history.” Trump’s former adviser Stephen Miller reinforced this point at Sunday’s rally in Madison Square Garden, saying “America is for Americans only.” Trump wants to secure the southern border, having been a proponent of frequent anti-immigrant rhetoric all campaign.

The economy

Trump appeals to the working class by reminding voters that his first administration was responsible for the largest tax cuts in American history. He’s sticking with this in 2024, promising to eliminate taxes on tips and overtime pay. He’s also taken a hardline stance against taxing unrealised gains, a Harris proposal that would almost exclusively impact the upper class. Pavel Yakovlev, associate professor of economics, says that these plans may be easier said than done.

“His tax cuts may sound nice as a method of stimulating the economy, but this is not gonna pay for itself,” he said. “Tax cuts alone are not going to raise enough economic stimulus to pay for the tax cuts.”

Tariffs

Trump’s plan to create jobs in America is to deter companies from moving their production overseas, only to then import the products back to America. He says that he will do this with tariffs, taxes levied on imported goods that make getting cheaper production overseas unprofitable for companies. Trump made no secret of this plan when speaking at his rally last week in Latrobe, Pa. “The word tariff is the most beautiful word in the dictionary. More beautiful than love. More beautiful than respect,” Trump said.

Civil rights

Another frequent talking point at Trump rallies is the idea of “keeping men out of women’s sports.” This is in reference to transgender women participating in women’s sports, something Republicans have emphasized this election season.

Dave McCormick

A former hedge fund manager, West Point Grad and Gulf War veteran, McCormick is venturing into a general election for the first time. He does so as a hardline republican with Trump’s full-throated endorsement. Pennsylvania will likely decide the presidential election, and the outcome of this race will probably determine who controls the Senate as well. In such as contentious race McCormick’s inexperience leaves him at a disadvantage to the career politician Casey. Since he doesn’t have an established name to stand on, McCormick has been very close to Trump all campaign, shadowing many of his platforms and opinions.
Immigration

McCormick has also pushed for a closed border, and places blame for what his platform calls “an enormous economic and national security threat for America and Pennsylvania,” on President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and Sen. Bob Casey, whom he accuses of “blindly supporting” the former’s policies. Duquesne Political Science Professor Clifford Bob says that this isn’t uncommon for candidates to ride the coattails of the presidential ticket. “If your presidential candidate is popular then you can ride their coattails, as the expression goes,” Bob said. “And people might vote in a straight party line.”

The economy

McCormick draws upon his ethos in the economic sector, promising that he is familiar with smart spending. He claims that his time as a CEO helped him create jobs while saving money, something that he can mirror in office. According to his website, “He knows what it’s like to be responsible for the bottom line, and in the senate he’ll work to rein in government spending, oppose tax increases, and exercise fiscal responsibility to lessen the burden on the people of the commonwealth.”

Reproductive rights

This is one area where McCormick tends to pull some punches and toe the line. Despite being pro-life, he is against a national abortion ban, and supports exceptions in order to preserve the mothers life, as well as cases of rape and incest.
Outsider

McCormick has keyed in on disrupting the routine on Capitol Hill. He has called for term limits for representatives, and says that he will not serve more than two terms himself.

James Hayes

Like McCormick, Hayes is also a newcomer to the political realm. The Lancaster native has a background in the financial realm, earning degrees from four different universities, including an MBA and Ph.D.

According to The Hill’s election prediction model, Hayes has never had more than a 1% chance of winning the seat.

Hayes supports Nippon’s acquisition of U.S. Steel, arguing it would provide security for the steel jobs that are left in Western Pennsylvania. He is a strong supporter of Israel, and attended Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech to Congress when Lee joined fellow ‘Squad’ members in boycotting it.