By Richard L. Gaw
Staff Writer

Currently dotting the roadsides in the immediate vicinity of Lincoln University, signs supporting Republican candidate Donald Trump for U.S. President outnumber those in favor of Democrat and Vice President Kamala Harris nearly three to one, but to anyone with even a slim knowledge of Chester County politics knows, the western half of the county still leans heavily red in a crucial voting region that has over the past few election become progressively blue.

In support of this changing tide – Chester County – once overwhelmingly a Republican threshold – has voted in Democrats to its row seats; State Rep. Christina Sappey and U.S. Rep. Chrissy Houlahan are each vying to be reelected for the third time; and in the 2020 election, Joe Biden outpaced Trump by a percentage of nearly 58 percent to nearly 41 percent (182,372 to 128,656). In a comparison overview, however, the far more rural western portion of the county – an area that stretches from North Coventry Township to West Nottingham Township -- voted convincingly for Trump.

As the 2024 presidential election draws near, prognostications are calling for the same voting divide.

In an effort to attract likely Democratic voters at Lincoln University, the Harris-Walz campaign, headquartered in Wilmington, Del., recently included the Oxford school as part of its HBCU Homecoming Tour across important swing states, including Pennsylvania. This tour underscores the campaign’s dedication to engaging directly with Black communities during the highly significant homecoming season at historically Black colleges and universities.

As throngs of alumni and friends gathered for pre-game tailgating at parking lots across the Lincoln University campus, the Harris-Walz campaign set up its tent outside of the International Cultural Center an hour prior to the start of the homecoming game against visiting Bluefield State University. Campaign staffers handed out campaign and volunteer literature, as well as registered students to vote. 

The stumping for additional voters at Lincoln is part of a strategy to gain voters in a county that is likely to figure prominently in determining whether Pennsylvania – a key battleground state in the 2024 presidential election with 19 electoral college votes – will tilt toward Harris or Trump. According to a recent New York Times/Sienna College poll, Harris currently has a slim

four-percentage point lead over Trump, and a national polling lead that has narrowed to just two percentage points over her Republican opponent.

Kaya Jones, national deputy director of youth engagement for the Harris-Walz campaign, said that the HBCU tour is part of an all-hands-on-deck initiative to get out the Harris-Walz vote.

“We are bringing surrogates and elected officials on campuses to stress the importance of young people getting involved in this election, not only through voting but making sure they are door knocking, volunteering and making calls to other voters,” she said. “This is so important because young people truly have the power to shape this election, and especially for a candidate who is a graduate of a HBCU."

“I have always said that Lincoln is the genesis of Black higher education in the U.S. and the nation’s first degree-granting HBCU, so for the Harris-Walz campaign to be here means that they know how crucial Lincoln has been for the history of the United States and how crucial Lincoln will be in this upcoming presidential election,” said Drake Smith, a Lincoln senior and the community outreach director for the University’s College Democrats. “We have about 1,200 votes on campus, and if all of them come out, we can turn western Chester County blue. Chester County has seen a blue wave over the past few years, but if all of Lincoln votes in favor of Harris-Walz, they can change the game, and the campaign is highly and keenly aware of that.”

“The polling is showing a slim margin in Pennsylvania, which we know could go either way, and we would love to keep Pa. blue,” Jones said. “Lincoln is located in one of the last remaining red districts in this region of the state, so we’re really encouraging students to get involved, get registered and make sure they’re voting for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz.”

The Harris-Walz tour of HBCUs began at Winston-Salem State University in North Carolina on Sept. 28, made a similar stop at Virginia State University on Oct. 12, and is planning upcoming visits to Harris’s alma mater Howard University, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical University, Clark Atlanta University and Morehouse and Spelman colleges. In all, the tour will make on-site and virtual appearances at 60 HBCUs in Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania and Michigan before Election Day on Nov. 5. 

Under the Biden-Harris administration, record investments of $17 billion have been directed towards HBCUs, underscoring their importance in higher education.

To contact Staff Writer Richard L. Gaw, email [email protected].