Vera Andryczyk is a card-carrying member of the Republican Get together in Pennsylvania, however as a Ukrainian-American, she’s placing her efforts into canvassing for Vice President Harris and reelecting the Democratic congresswoman from her district.
Overseas coverage is normally a low precedence in presidential elections, however Pennsylvania’s distinctive connection to, and funding in, U.S. assist for Ukraine make it a serious focus — and flashpoint — of the November contest.
Andryczyk is a part of the estimated 1 % of Pennsylvania’s inhabitants that’s of Ukrainian heritage, a small however important variety of voters in a state that President Biden gained in 2020 by fewer than 81,000 votes.
“I’ve encouraged at every fundraiser, every social meeting, I keep telling them, not only can you not vote for [former President] Trump, but you have to vote for the Democrat,” the self-described younger 82-year-old informed The Hill in a telephone name.
“Because this is a very, very close election, and we cannot afford — Ukraine, the United States, the world — cannot afford another term.”
The Keystone State is taken into account one in every of, if not probably the most, essential swing states within the 2024 presidential election, carrying with it the prize of 19 Electoral Faculty votes. And Harris and Trump’s diverging positions on Ukraine are taking heart stage.
Along with the estimated 100,000 Ukrainian-Individuals in Pennsylvania, Polish-Individuals make up about 5 % of the state’s inhabitants, and it has important populations of Individuals with heritage from Baltic states and different eastern-European nations which can be typically involved about their homelands being on the frontline of Russian aggression.
These voters should not a monolith however are usually lively in U.S. assist for Ukraine in its defensive warfare in opposition to Russia and are fiercely protecting of democracy — with household histories marred by the hardships and oppression of Nazi, communist and Soviet regimes.
Pennsylvania can be one of many primary beneficiaries of U.S. support to Ukraine, with eight congressional districts residence to manufacturing firms producing army gear both shipped to Kyiv or backfilling U.S. shares, benefiting from the general $121 billion spent within the U.S. since Russia’s full-scale invasion was launched in February 2022.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky singled out Scranton in his journey to the U.S. this week on the sidelines of the United Nations Common Meeting, visiting a munitions manufacturing facility to thank employees for his or her contribution.
However his go to triggered political outrage and condemnation from Republicans who accused the wartime chief of “election meddling,” stumping for Democrats within the vital state by showing alongside the Democratic governor and the Democratic congressman who represents the district.
Republicans supportive of Ukraine, nevertheless, sought to downplay the scandal. Pennsylvania Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick – an outspoken GOP voice on assist for Ukraine – mentioned the controversy “might have been a huge misunderstanding,” following a gathering with Zelensky in Washington on Thursday.
“But we’ll get to the bottom of it,” Fitzpatrick added.
However the episode highlighted the rising partisan divides over U.S. assist for Ukraine. Trump is more and more rallying Republicans to his view that the U.S. is spending an excessive amount of cash in its assist for Ukraine, whereas his working mate, Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) has referred to as for Kyiv to make land and safety concessions to Moscow to finish the warfare.
Zelensky and Ukraine’s strongest supporters, together with many GOP lawmakers in Washington, reject these positions. The Ukrainian president has, extra not too long ago, publicly knocked Trump and Vance.
This has additional fueled political tensions, with Trump criticizing Zelensky throughout a marketing campaign rally in North Carolina as “making nasty aspersions toward your favorite president, me.” However Trump met with Zelensky in New York on Friday after publishing what seemed to be a complimentary textual content from the Ukrainian chief, saying “I really want to hear your thoughts directly, and first hand.”
The partisan political rigidity is worrying for Ukrainian-Individuals lively in rallying U.S. assist for Kyiv, the place the primary focus is to take care of, and develop, bipartisan backing to make sure the continuity of American assist.
“I think that, undoubtedly, there’s bipartisan support for Ukraine in Congress, both the Senate and the House, and that is a bipartisan majority that is greater than exists on most other issues that face Congress,” mentioned Euguen Luciw, president of the Philadelphia regional department of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America, which advocates native and federal governments.
“The difficulty is how the executive treats that bipartisan relationship.”
Amid the controversy between Republicans and the Ukrainian authorities, the Harris marketing campaign is leaning into her assist for Kyiv. In a press release on Thursday, she argued that she has been a “champion” in “standing up to dictators and autocrats” and that “The Trump-Vance-Putin plan would sell out Ukraine.” Her marketing campaign additionally mentioned Harris helped convey collectively allies to assist Ukraine defend itself, which is a serious a part of President Biden’s legacy.
Leaders of Pennsylvania’s 800,000 robust Polish group put out a letter of assist for Harris following the Sep. 10 presidential debate the place she name-checked the group’s affect whereas criticizing Trump’s antagonism towards Kyiv and deference towards Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“Vice President Harris has a long, strong track record of protecting our democracy here at home and standing up for our brothers, sisters, parents and grandparents in Poland — the same people Vladimir Putin hopes to attack next if Ukraine were to fall,” the letter learn.
Harris on Thursday additionally held a solo assembly with Zelensky, separate from Biden’s assembly with the Ukrainian chief, and bashed Trump, with out calling him by identify, for his ideas on how the warfare ought to finish.
“There are some in my country who would instead force Ukraine to give up large parts of its sovereign territory, who would demand that Ukraine accept neutrality, and would require Ukraine to forgo security relationships with other nations,” the vice chairman mentioned.
“These proposals are the same of those of Putin, and let us be clear, they are not proposals for peace. Instead, they are proposals for surrender, which is dangerous and unacceptable,” she added.
Nevertheless it’s not but clear if Pennsylvanians’ voting on the difficulty of Ukraine will ship victory for Harris, specifically.
Trump and Harris are largely neck-and-neck within the state, with Harris carrying a 1.3 share level lead over Trump, in response to The Hill/Determination Desk HQ aggregation of polls.
The candidates have been tied at 46 % every in a Susquehanna Polling and Analysis survey launched this week, and a UMass Lowell and YouGov ballot launched on Thursday discovered Harris was up 48 % in Pennsylvania, whereas Trump trails carefully with 46 % assist.
When requested for his or her most essential concern when deciding who they vote for, solely 2 % of Pennsylvanians mentioned “international conflicts,” in a current Muhlenberg Faculty survey.
This was the identical share of assist that international coverage and local weather change acquired. Nonetheless, it ranked forward of violent crime, gun management and the Supreme Courtroom and ranked simply behind well being care, which acquired 3 %.
And in a Trump-versus-Harris matchup on international coverage, 51 % of Pennsylvanians mentioned the Republican presidential nominee is probably to “pursue a foreign policy which benefits people like you,” in a ballot carried out by the Eurasia Group.
However with such tight margins, something can shift.
“Large portions of the Polish and Ukrainian populations in Pennsylvania are so-called Trump Democrats, who look at the entirety of his policies — but being so openly pro-Putin probably undercuts Trump’s support,” mentioned former Pennsylvania Rep. Chris Carney (D), a senior adviser at Nossaman.
“It’s unclear if Polish and Ukrainian Pennsylvanians are more concerned about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine than they are about the economy or immigration. But I cannot imagine that Trump’s recent vitriolic comments about Ukraine, Zelensky and NATO help his standing within those communities,” he added.
For Andryczyk, the Jan. 6, 2021 assault on the Capitol by pro-Trump supporters triggered her resignation from Republican committee roles in her district. She was shocked on the assault on the democracy that was a beacon of hope when her dad and mom fled Soviet-controlled Ukraine throughout World Struggle II, then underneath Nazi occupation.
Trump’s criticism of Ukraine has additional cemented her vote for Democrats.
“I’m still a Republican, because I will vote for a person who embodies the principles of the Republican Party. But I will go across the line, and I will, and I have voted for Democrats.”
