Trump rebuilds Democrats' 'blue wall' states with red bricks. Especially Pennsylvania

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Republicans landed historic victories in Pennsylvania this week, winning the battleground state's valuable presidential electoral votes, posting a two-seat gain in its U.S. House delegation and sweeping all four statewide offices on the ballot, including a U.S. Senate seat.

The strong performance means Donald Trump has won Pennsylvania in two out of three tries, after Republicans had lost six straight presidential elections there.

Something similar happened in the other “blue wall” states of Michigan and Wisconsin, Rust Belt states where Trump prevailed again after losing in 2020. Still, Democrats held on in key Senate races in Wisconsin and Michigan, if just barely, and the results played out differently in each state.

Republican victories were most pronounced in Pennsylvania, a state flagged early on as this year's preeminent swing state, where deep dissatisfaction surfaced with the status quo, more often than not to Republicans’ benefit.

Voters had the economy on their minds.

About a third of voters nationwide, including in the blue wall states, said they felt their families were “falling behind” financially, according to AP VoteCast, a survey of more than 120,000 voters nationwide. That was an increase from 2020, when about 2 in 10 felt that way. In 2020, a majority of those financially strapped voters voted for President Joe Biden, but this year, about two-thirds supported Trump.

Berwood Yost, director of the Center for Opinion Research at Franklin & Marshall College in Pennsylvania, said Democrats had a lot working against them among swing voters: their deteriorating personal finances, fueled by inflation, and the sense that many blamed Biden.

Yost said Vice President Kamala Harris ran a strong campaign but was unable to overcome those headwinds.

“The mood of the electorate was so negative, they took it out on the incumbent party," Yost said.

Some voters’ memories of Trump’s presidency improved with the passage of time. VoteCast shows just 40% of Pennsylvania voters said they approve of Biden’s job performance, while 54% said they approved of Trump when he was president. Four years ago, Trump approval in Pennsylvania was 49%.

In his victory over Harris, Trump won Pennsylvania by about 2%, with votes still being counted. That was about three times the margin of his 2016 victory. He lost Pennsylvania by just over 1% in 2020 to Biden.

Trump carried Wisconsin by less than a point, as he did in 2016, after losing it by about a half percentage point in 2020.

In Michigan, Trump won by about 80,000 — many times his nearly 11,000-vote win in 2016 and about half the margin of his loss to Biden in 2020.

In Pennsylvania, Trump gained ground in Democratic-friendly counties statewide, including the Democratic bastion of Philadelphia and heavily populated suburbs that swung hard against Trump in 2016 and 2020.

In Trump-friendly exurbs and rural areas, his margins grew across the board.

His strength also helped David McCormick beat three-term Democratic Sen. Bob Casey, Republicans say, allowing them to reclaim the Senate seat the GOP lost in 2022 when Democrat John Fetterman replaced retiring Republican Sen. Pat Toomey.

In addition, a two-seat pickup shifted the state's congressional delegation from 9-8 in favor of Democrats to a 10-7 Republicans majority, giving the GOP a valuable boost in its fight to keep House control.

And for the first time since the state attorney general's office became an elected position in 1980, Republicans will hold all three statewide row offices.

That includes treasurer, auditor general and attorney general, a position thrust into the national spotlight four years ago when Trump sued to overturn his 2020 defeat.

Legislative majorities were unchanged: Republicans held their six-seat state Senate majority while Democrats held their one-seat state House majority.

With more Republicans at the Capitol, Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro — who made Harris' list of finalists for vice president — could be under more pressure to work across the aisle.

Trump visited Pennsylvania more than any other state and often brought downballot Republicans on stage.

Trump survived an assassination attempt in western Pennsylvania over the summer — then returned there for a second rally — and drew a crowd to a McDonald's in a politically divided Philadelphia suburb where he donned an apron and tried his hand at the French fry station.

Trump campaigned in conservative white areas, in heavily Black Philadelphia and in a fast-growing belt of cities from Lancaster to Reading to Allentown where Latinos are settling, and AP VoteCast showed that he benefited from modest swings among traditionally Democratic voters.

Across the country, and in Pennsylvania, clear majorities of Black and Latino voters supported Harris, but slightly more of them backed Trump this year compared with four years ago.

“I told Donald Trump in 2015 when he asked ‘what do I have to do to win Pennsylvania,’ I said, ‘come here a lot, Pennsylvanians like to know their candidates,’” said Rob Gleason, who was state GOP chairman at the time.

Democrats had a much better night in Wisconsin than in the other “blue wall” states, despite Trump's victory.

Trump cut into Democratic margins in the counties around Milwaukee and Madison, and held or boosted his margins in rural areas, suburbs and other conservative areas.

“There were a lot of people who didn’t think we could do this,” Wisconsin Republican Party chair Brian Schimming said. “That blue brick in that blue wall is now red in Wisconsin.”

Still, Democrats were buoyed by U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin ’s narrow victory, and newly enacted legislative maps drawn by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers helped his party.

They made gains in both the state Senate and Assembly, shrinking the Republican Senate supermajority to a simple majority.

In Michigan, Harris carried Wayne County, which includes Detroit and suburbs with heavy Arab American populations, but by a far slimmer margin — about 90,000 votes — than Biden's. Meanwhile, Trump boosted his margins by more than 55,000 votes in two other big suburban counties, Macomb and Oakland.

Democrat Elissa Slotkin narrowly won Michigan's open U.S. Senate seat, but Democrats lost the House seat she vacated to run for the higher chamber.

Meanwhile, they lost their state House majority, ending a two-year run in which a Democratic-controlled statehouse enacted new laws on gun safety, abortion rights and other top priorities.

Republicans say Trump's embrace of early voting and emphasis on inflation and immigration was effective.

In Pennsylvania, some Democrats said Harris should have picked Shapiro to be her running mate. Others suggested Biden, who grew up in Pennsylvania and made it his presidential campaign base, would have done better.

Former Gov. Ed Rendell questioned whether Harris’ campaign effectively responded to attacks in the nation’s No. 2 natural gas state that she would ban fracking. Two-thirds of Pennsylvania voters support expanding fracking, according to VoteCast.

Larry Maggi, a Democratic county commissioner in blue-collar Washington County, just outside Pittsburgh, said Harris didn’t connect with people — particularly men, and especially young white men — the way Trump did.

“That bravado talk, that tough talk, people like that,” Maggi said. “It resonated.”

A Marine Corps veteran, Maggi recalled a conversation over a beer in a Veterans of Foreign Wars hall with a friend who was wearing a red MAGA hat.

Maggi asked him why he likes Trump.

“Because he tells it how it is,” the friend replied.

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Associated Press journalists Hannah Fingerhut in Washington, Joseph Frederick in Philadelphia, Joey Cappelletti in Detroit, and Scott Bauer in Madison, Wisconsin, contributed to this report.

Republican Pennsylvania Senate candidate David McCormick, left, waves to the crowd while on stage with his wife, Dina Powell, during an election night watch party, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport, Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024, in Latrobe, Pa. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Democratic Michigan Senate candidate Rep. Elissa Slotkin leaves the stage after speaking at an election night watch party, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

Adam Hameed, paints the exterior of a skin care center, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, in Dearborn, Mich, the nation's largest Arab-majority city. "For me I worry about my kids and the economy. Everything's too expensive and I can't buy what I want for my kids," said Hameed who voted for President-elect Donald Trump. "I want my kids to see me strong and doing well." (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Democratic Michigan Senate candidate Rep. Elissa Slotkin speaks during an election night watch party, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

Supporters cheer as Republican Pennsylvania Senate candidate David McCormick speaks during an election night watch party, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Republican Pennsylvania Senate candidate David McCormick arrives to speak during an election night watch party, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

AMSTERDAM (AP) — Israeli fans were assaulted after a soccer game in Amsterdam by hordes of young people apparently riled up by calls on social media to target Jewish people, Dutch authorities said Friday. Five people were treated for injuries at hospitals and dozens were arrested.

Tensions had been mounting in the Dutch capital over Israel’s campaigns in Gaza and Lebanon, even before Thursday night's Europa League match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv. Amsterdam authorities banned a planned pro-Palestinian demonstration near the stadium, and video showed a large crowd of Israeli fans chanting anti-Arab slogans en route to the game.

Afterwards, youths on scooters and on foot crisscrossed the city in search of Israeli fans, punching and kicking them and then fleeing quickly to evade police, Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema said.

In Telegram groups, she added, “there is talk of people going on a Jew hunt. That is so shocking and so despicable that I still cannot fathom it.”

Police had to escort some fans back to hotels, according to authorities.

Ofek Ziv, a Maccabi fan from the Israeli city of Petah Tikva, said someone — he didn’t see who — threw a rock at him as he and a friend left the stadium. He was hit in the head, causing light bleeding. He said a group of Arab men began to chase him, before he and his friend got into a taxi, picking up other fans. They took shelter at a hotel.

“I’m very scared, it’s very striking. This shouldn’t happen to anyone, specifically in Amsterdam. Lots of friends were hurt, injured, kidnapped, robbed, and the police didn’t come to help us,” he said.

Another fan, Alyia Cohen, said that he and his friends were approached by a number of hostile men as they got back to their hotel after the match. Because the group wasn't wearing Maccabi shirts "they did not recognize that we are Israelis ... Nothing happened to us, but there was big chaos there that we did not expect.”

Speaking as he arrived back in Israel, he said he would go back for further matches. “We are not afraid of anything, ours is the people of Israel.”

Amsterdam police spokeswoman Sara Tillart said it was too early in the investigation to say if anybody other than soccer fans was targeted.

Five people were treated in the hospital and released, while some 20 to 30 people suffered light injuries, police said. At least 62 suspects were arrested, with 10 still in custody, the city's public prosecutor, René de Beukelaer, told reporters at a news conference Friday.

With condemnation of the violence as antisemitic pouring in from around Europe, the attacks shattered Amsterdam’s long-cherished view of itself as a beacon of tolerance and haven for persecuted religions, including Sephardic Jews from Portugal and Spain centuries ago.

Halsema called the violence “an eruption of antisemitism that we had hoped never again to see in Amsterdam."

Police said security will be beefed up at Jewish institutions in the city that has a large Jewish community and was home to Jewish World War II diarist Anne Frank and her family as they hid from Nazi occupiers.

The violence reverberated intensely in Israel and across Europe. Israel’s foreign minister left on an urgent trip to the Netherlands, and the government initially ordered two planes sent to the Dutch capital to bring fans home. The prime minister’s office later said it would work to help citizens arrange commercial flights.

A statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said that “the harsh pictures of the assault on our citizens in Amsterdam will not be overlooked,” and that Netanyahu “views the horrifying incident with utmost gravity.” He demanded that the Dutch government take “vigorous and swift action” against those involved.

Maccabi’s CEO, Ben Mansford, spoke to press at Israel’s international airport as some fans returned. “Lots of people went to watch a football game ... to support Israel, to support the star of David,” he said. For them to be attacked, “that’s very sad times for us all given the last year we’ve had.”

The extent of the attacks Thursday night and where and when they took place was not clear. Tensions had been brewing for days.

A Palestinian flag was torn down from a building in Amsterdam on Wednesday, Dutch broadcaster NOS reported, and authorities banned a pro-Palestinian demonstration near the stadium.

Ahead of the game, large crowds of supporters of the Israeli team could be seen on video chanting anti-Arab slogans as they headed to the stadium, escorted by police.

“Let the IDF win, and (expletive) the Arabs,” the fans chanted, using the acronym of the Israeli military, as they shook their fists. It also showed police pushing several pro-Palestinian protesters away from a Maccabi fan gathering in a square earlier in the day.

De Beukelaer said police were investigating “to what extent an organization is behind” the attacks on Israeli fans, adding, “I have too few indications for that at the moment.”

Security issues around hosting games against visiting Israeli teams led the Belgian soccer federation to decline to stage a men’s Nations League game in September. That game against Israel was played in Hungary with no fans in the stadium.

Israel was exiled from the Asian Football Confederation in the 1970s after Arab nations refused to play against it. Israel played in European qualifying for the 1982 World Cup and has been a member of European soccer body UEFA since 1994.

The violence in Amsterdam will no doubt lead to a review of security at upcoming matches involving Israeli teams. European soccer body UEFA announced already on Monday that Maccabi’s next Europa League match, scheduled in Istanbul on Nov. 28 against Turkish team Besiktas, would be moved to a yet-to-be-decided neutral venue “following a decision by the Turkish authorities.”

Meanwhile, Israel’s national team is scheduled to play France in Paris on Nov. 14 in the Nations League. French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said Thursday that the match would go ahead as planned at the Stade de France just outside the French capital after assurances from police.

“I think that for a symbolic reason we must not yield, we must not give up,” he said, noting that sports fans from around the world came together for the Paris Olympics this year to celebrate the “universal values” of sports.

“We will be uncompromising,” he added. “To touch a Jewish compatriot is to touch the republic.”

Associated Press reporters Julia Frankel and Ibrahim Hazboun in Jerusalem, Lee Keath in Cairo, Graham Dunbar in Geneva, and Raf Casert in Brussels, contributed to this report.

Amsterdam's Mayor Femke Halsema, centre, acting Amsterdam police chief Peter Holla, left, and head of the Amsterdam public prosecutor's office René de Beukelaer hold a news conference after Israeli fans and protesters clashed overnight after a soccer match, in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Friday Nov, 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Mike Corder)

In this image taken from video, police stand guard as Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters light flares at the Dam square, in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (AP Photo InterVision)

In this image taken from video, police escort Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters to the metro, after pro-Palestinian supporters marched near the soccer stadium, in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (AP Photo InterVision)

In this image taken from video, police detain a person next to the place where Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters gather ahead of the Europa League soccer match between their team and Ajax, in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (AP Photo InterVision)

In this image taken from video, pro-Palestinian supporters march with Palestinian flags near the Ajax stadium in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (AP Photo InterVision)

In this image taken from video, police frisk pro-Palestinian supporters near the Ajax stadium in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (AP Photo InterVision)

In this image taken from video, police detain a man near the Ajax stadium, after pro-Palestinian supporters marched despite a ban on pro-Palestinian demonstrations near the soccer stadium, in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (AP Photo InterVision)

In this image taken from video, police stand guard forming a line near the Ajax stadium, in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (AP Photo InterVision)

In this image taken from video, police escort Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters to the metro station leading them to the Ajax stadium, after pro-Palestinian supporters marched near the stadium, in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (AP Photo InterVision)