2024 Election: Pennsylvania battleground playing out in Bucks County
BUCKS COUNTY, Pa. - All roads to the White House must come through Pennsylvania, but some counties are more complex than others.
Bucks County remains the most purple of Philadelphia's collar counties, and a contentious battleground of its own within the swing state of Pennsylvania.
Democrats have made gains in recent years after decades of being a solid red across the county for many decades.
However, just last month, Republican voters outnumbered Democrats by almost 280.
Key Pennsylvania county now has more registered Republicans than Democrats
Registered Republicans now outnumber Democrats by 277 voters in Bucks County, a famously purple county when it comes to voter registration.
"People don’t talk politics too much around here. They display it through flags and signs and things like that," said Melvin Mumford, a Perkasie resident who doesn't plan to vote.
Perkasie is one of eight communities that narrowly flipped from Republican to Democrat during the 2020 presidential election between Joe Biden and Donald Trump.
In an effort to check the temperatures of critical voters in this year's election, FOX 29's Shiba Russell headed to two of those communities: Perkasie and Warminster.
"This is a more centrist place and so that’s why the vote is so close and anything could tip it one way or the other," said Warminister resident, Andrew Dixon.
Warminster is home to more than 32,000 people, while Perkasie is a town of just over 8,000.
Perkasie
Known as a hidden gem of Bucks County, Perkasie is filled with quaint buildings, plenty of parks, and a clear lack of any big box stores.
It appears to be a town where you're more likely to find American and Phillies flags on front lawns than signs for any political candidate.
When asked if she would describe Perkasie as a blue community, Lesley Heckenswiler said no.
"I would say it's more like half-n-half and I think that they vote for the economy and other things that are happening in the local area," she said.
Back in 2020, Biden beat Trump by only 67 votes in Perkasie. In 2016, Trump won over Hillary Clinton by 433 votes. This election year, voters suspect it will be close again.
Democrat and Perkasie resident, Wayne Tomlinson, believes democracy is one of the most important issues in this election.
"Our democracy and make sure the Constitution gets upheld because Donald Trump doesn’t care about either one, he just wants to be president for life," Tomlinson said.
Meanwhile, another resident already has plans to vote for Trump.
"We’re concentrating on different countries than the country we live in," said Robert Jelski.
Warminster
A bustling community with suburban living not too far from the city, Warminster may be larger than Perkasie, but they do have their similarities.
American flags and police signs still grace countless lawns, but many more Trump flags seem to fly.
"Everything is nuclear and the more you have that, the more people are just talking past each other," said Democrat Andrew Dixon.
In 2020, Biden won over Trump by 257 votes in Warminster, and in 2016, Trump beat Clinton by 471 votes.
Blue or red?
After speaking with voters, it's clear that it could be years before Bucks County turns blue, or back to a solid red.
From the economy to immigration to protecting democracy, they are big concerns for Bucks County voters, but making sure the other party’s candidate does not win the White House is perhaps the biggest of them all.
"I can’t believe we’re in the position that we’re in," said Annette Blatt. "I’m very concerned about Israel, and I think Trump has a better handle on that."