Pennsylvania swing district could help decide control of the House in Nov 3 midterms
BETHLEHEM, United States: In a US city once known for its steel industry, workers enjoy family outings beside retired, rust-streaked blast furnaces. The vast steel mill in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, fell silent in the 1990s. But the partly redeveloped industrial site came alive again at a recent Oktoberfest event, with people in Bavarian dress, large beer steins and a giant screen showing American football.
Among those attending were supporters of President Donald Trump who are sticking with his Republican Party despite their disappointments. Commercial roofer Nev Hamm, 62, remembers living “right behind” the steel plant in the 1980s, when it was still running. “It was good and they screwed up here. They gave it away,” he told AFP. But he believes industry is “coming back” thanks to Trump’s protectionist policies. “It’s gonna be better as soon as we’re done with the Iranian war,” he added, referring to the US-Israel war with Iran that began in late February.
Bethlehem sits at the heart of the Lehigh Valley, once a stronghold of US heavy industry. Workers now find jobs in logistics, food manufacturing, especially pet food, and a growing pharmaceutical sector, with a plant for weight-loss drugs due to open soon.
ALLENTOWN, United States: Construction workers at a job site in downtown Allentown, Pennsylvania, on Oct 6. The state’s 7th congressional district, which includes Allentown and Bethlehem, could tip control of the House of Representatives to the Democrats in the Nov 3 midterm elections. — AFP
ALLENTOWN, United States: Shawn Smith, a technician at the region’s last Mack truck plant and a representative of United Auto Workers (UAW) Local 677, poses for a portrait at the union’s building in Allentown, Pennsylvania, on Oct 5. — AFP
Beth Piniella, 40, who cleans a warehouse for a packaging and office supplies distributor, feels her family is doing all right. “I make decent money,” she said. Of Trump, for whom she voted, she said: “I really think it’s hit or miss on certain things.” Her husband Brian said he was “a little disappointed”. “I thought prices were coming down,” he said.
The district where they live could help hand control of the US House of Representatives to the Democrats in the Nov 3 midterm elections. Republican incumbent Ryan Mackenzie won narrowly in 2024. His Democratic rival is Bob Brooks, a former firefighter and political newcomer who presents himself as a voice for the working class.
Some voters, like Henry Martin, plan to skip the polls entirely, frustrated with both main parties. “They’re living the high life,” said the 32-year-old warehouse manager. “The everyday average Joe like me, we’re not doing great at all.” He feels “stuck” between “terrible” rent and home prices that are “insanely out of reach”.
In nearby Allentown, a billboard urges drivers to vote for Brooks. Ramona Chery, who works at a tire shop below the sign, said the city’s large Latino community has been shaken by Trump’s hardline immigration policies and by inflation. Gains among Latino voters helped return Trump to the White House in 2024. But “there’s more poverty than before”, Chery said.
Mike Shupp, president of the local United Auto Workers union, said: “I wish there was a manufacturing boom, but I’m not seeing it.” At his office in Allentown, he recalled how the area used to be lined with factories. He worries that truck maker Mack will keep cutting US production and shifting jobs to Mexico. The region’s last Mack plant, about a 20-minute drive away, employs some 2,800 people. In April 2025, the company announced plans to lay off up to 350 workers there, partly because of Trump’s tariffs. Around 170 were eventually let go, but were recalled when business improved, and Trump himself visited the site in June to promote his policies.
“I wasn’t interested in being involved with that,” said Shawn Smith, 52, a technician who puts the finishing touches on heavy trucks. Smith, a union representative, backs Brooks. He said workers “don’t talk politics” at the plant because “it just starts an argument”. Still, he believes “there’s enough of a disconnect, and there’s enough independents and Republicans that (will) say enough is enough, and they want a little bit of a change”. — AFP