Southwestern Pa. voters push for change as Obama wins the state
The majority of southwestern Pennsylvania voters pushed for change in the presidential race Tuesday, but their efforts fell short as President Barack Obama held on to the state, according to unofficial election results.
In Fayette County, where there are about 37,000 more registered Democrats than Republicans for this year’s election, Republican challenger Mitt Romney pulled ahead early on, claiming 53 percent of the vote with 96 percent of the districts reporting by deadline.
Obama held onto 46 percent of the votes in Fayette.
Greene County voters pushed for Romney who claimed 57 percent of the vote with all 44 districts reporting. Obama received 40 percent of the vote in Greene.
Romney also remained in the lead in Washington County where he led with 55 percent of the vote with 182 of 184 districts reporting. Obama claimed 42 percent in Washington.
Obama saw defeat in the three counties in the last presidential election, when the majority of voters in Greene, Fayette and Washington supported John McCain.
However, Obama garnered enough votes in 2008 to claim the state.
In a heated race for U.S. Senator, results ran neck and neck in the three counties Tuesday with Democratic incumbent Bob Casey Jr. and Republican challenger Tom Smith, who delivered an aggressive campaign strategy that could spell upset.
In Fayette County, with 96 percent of the vote counted by deadline, Casey hung onto 51 percent of the vote while Smith claimed 48 percent. But Casey lost the votes needed to claim Greene County receiving only 48 percent of the vote to Smith who received nearly 50 percent with all 44 districts reporting. Smith kept a narrow lead in Washington County as well, receiving 51 percent of the vote with 182 or the 184 districts reporting by deadline and Casey receiving 47 percent.
Statewide, Casey remained in the lead with 55 percent of the vote with 15 percent of the vote unreported by deadline.
In the months leading up to the general election, GOP numbers increased, although they lagged behind Democratic numbers in Fayette, Greene and Washington counties, according to election officials.
Fayette County figures show that there were 60,444 voters registered with the Democratic Party and 23,634 with the Republican Party for this year’s election.
There were about 1,870 new Fayette County voters this year.
Election officials in Greene County reported 6,544 Republican voters and 14,282 Democrats registered for Tuesday’s election.
In Washington County, election officials said of the 141,000 registered voters, about 43,000 were listed as Republicans and nearly 80,000 as Democrats.