Imagine spending an entire weekend at the Brookville, Pennsylvania, fairgrounds with no other purpose than to hate Donald Trump and wish that Kamala Harris would be elected. Surround yourself with other Democrats who hate the experience of being liberal in conservative rural Pennsylvania. Add a splash of schmoozy dinners and lectures by liberal politicians about your responsibilities at the voting booth.  

Welcome to Demstock, the liberals’ latest attempt to make historically fun things awful. 

Hundreds of rural Pennsylvania Democratic voters attended “Demstock” over the weekend. Attendees shared their experiences of feeling alone in their Republican communities. They talked about their goal of boosting support for Harris in their state. 

U.S. Senator John Fetterman and state Representative Malcolm Kenyatta, who’s running for Pennsylvania auditor general, spoke at a Demstock Dinner event. Fetterman joked about how yard signs get stolen, which many rural Democrats in the audience could relate to. He also praised rural Democrats, calling them “unsung heroes.” 

Attendees roasted marshmallows and had a night of fireworks.  

Phil Heasley, the chairman of Demstock, said that events like these are essential to getting every possible vote. He said that just one person registering or deciding to vote could determine the election. “If we don’t engage the rural electorate in the middle of the state, Democrats can’t win,” he explained. 

Kenyatta, who is on the Harris-Walz national advisory board, explained that the campaign is focusing on organizing in rural areas, even if they seem small. Instead of ignoring places like Columbia County because they think they won’t win there, the campaign is making sure to show up and invest in these areas.  

Fetterman added that the goal isn’t to turn Republican counties into Democratic ones but to reduce the gap in votes so that Trump can’t win in Pennsylvania. 

The wild time happened in Jefferson County, where Trump won by almost 60 percentage points in 2020.  

Demstock PA is a political action committee that helps rural candidates in local elections. Now in its sixth year, the event began with a small backyard pig roast called “Swinestock.” 

It’s essential this year because Pennsylvania has close margins in presidential elections. Harris-Walz has invested heavily in Pennsylvania’s rural voters. They’ve opened 36 offices across the state, nine of which are in rural counties where Trump won by a wide margin in 2020. The campaign also sent 300 staffers to work across Pennsylvania. 

Presidential races in Pennsylvania are usually close. Trump won the state by just 0.7 points in 2016. Joe Biden won by a little over 1 point in 2020. 

A big part of Trump’s 2016 win was his success in rural areas. He received 71% of the rural vote, compared to Hillary Clinton’s 26%. Trump won Beaver County by almost 18 points in 2020.  

Pennsylvania Democratic Party chair, state Senator Shariff Street, said he thinks a big reason Trump won in 2016 was that Democrats didn’t “share their message” enough with rural Pennsylvania. He said they are now committed to ensuring that doesn’t happen again. 

Democratic officials who attended Demstock say they believe the road to the White House runs through rural Pennsylvania. Heasley said Demstock was created to bring politicians to areas that don’t get as much attention as major cities like Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. He cautions, “If we don’t engage the rural electorate in the middle of the state, Democrats can’t win.”  

Both presidential campaigns are working hard across Pennsylvania, hoping to win enough votes from the state to reach the total of 270 electoral votes needed to win the election. 

In May, before Harris became the top Democratic candidate, the Biden-Harris campaign set up an office there. The Sunday before the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Harris and Walz visited small towns in western Pennsylvania on a bus tour, including Allegheny and Beaver counties. 

Because of Pennsylvania’s demographics, the support of white working-class voters is crucial for both candidates. About 75% of Pennsylvania’s population is non-Hispanic white, while Black or African American people make up 12% and Hispanic people make up 9%. Pennsylvania also has many older people, with 20% of the population being at least 65 years old. 

Most polls have Trump ahead of Harris in the Keystone State by a slim lead.