Last updated Sept. 26
It’s kind of fun when Pennsylvania matters.
At least, that’s what we’ve learned throughout the last several months as both presidential candidates and their surrogates have spent significant time in our state, which — if the pundits are right — could still play a key role in who wins the White House as we head into the final two months of the 2016 campaign season.
Whether it’s Donald Trump giving a national security speech at the swanky Union League in Philly, Joe Biden stumping for Hillary Clinton on Labor Day in Pittsburgh, or any one of the candidates’ major surrogates, their footprints have been all over the Keystone State.
A Quinnipiac University poll released last week showed Clinton leading Trump 48 percent to 43 percent, with the GOP nominee gaining ground in Pennsylvania in the last month. That means in the final days of the campaign, both camps are pouring their resources into Pennsylvania and three other key battleground states: Ohio, North Carolina and Florida.
So maybe you’ve noticed that the candidates, their running mates, their kids and their most famous political supporters are all over Pennsylvania — and the voter-rich Philadelphia metro area.
We’re tracking their visits week-by-week, starting with Labor Day, which is often marked as the unofficial start of the final leg of the presidential campaign season when things kick into high gear. We’ll be updating this post over the next two months so you can track the candidates and their people as they travel across the Keystone State.
Statewide
Here’s who’s already visited Pennsylvania this month and who’s set to make appearances:
And here’s a map of where they’ve been since Labor Day:
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Week 1: Sept. 4 to Sept. 10
Vice Presidential candidate Tim Kaine and current veep Joe Biden kicked off the week by making an appearance at the Labor Day parade in downtown Pittsburgh. On Wednesday, Donald Trump delivered a major national security speech at the Union League in Center City, Philadelphia. The same day, Chelsea Clinton appeared at a campaign organizing event in State College. Friday, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts, stumped for Clinton in West Philadelphia at Penn and former President Bill Clinton made an appearance in the Homewood neighborhood in Pittsburgh.
Week 2: Sept. 11 to Sept. 17
This week, President Obama is campaigning in a public event at Eakins Oval in Philadelphia. The same day, Trump will be just an hour away in Aston in Delaware County. On Wednesday, Donald Trump Jr. will lead a Trump office opening in Canonsburg in western PA while Mike Pence will hold a rally outside Scranton in Dunmore. On Friday, Sen. Bernie Sanders will campaign for Clinton at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.
Week 3: Sept. 18 to Sept. 24
Hillary Clinton kicked off the week in Philadelphia, where she spoke before a group of young voters at Temple University. On Thursday, Trump is scheduled to headline the Shale Insight 2016 conference at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in downtown Pittsburgh. It’s also been reported that Trump will make stops in Delaware and Chester counties the same day, but specifics on those visits are unclear.
Week 4: Sept. 25 to Oct. 1
Vice President Joe Biden will make an appearance at Drexel University on Tuesday, campaigning for Hillary Clinton during a voter registration event. First Lady Michelle Obama is scheduled to make appearances in both Pittsburgh and Philadelphia on Sept. 28 in order to campaign for Hillary Clinton. Michelle Obama also campaign for Clinton in Philly during the DNC.
Philadelphia metro area
These visits include the city of Philadelphia — which has seen both presidential candidates in the last two months — as well as the four surrounding counties: Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery.
Week 1: Sept. 4 to Sept. 10
Read: Coverage from Donald Trump’s national security speech at the Union League.
Photo: Elizabeth Warren stumps for Katie McGinty in West Philadelphia.
Week 2: Sept. 11 to Sept. 17
RSVP: President Obama to appear at Eakins Oval to campaign for Hillary Clinton.
Details: Trump is holding an event at the Aston Community Center, which is closed to the public.
Week 3: Sept. 19 to Sept. 23
Read: Hillary Clinton’s lowkey pitch to millennials starts in Philly
Week 4: Sept. 25 to Oct. 1
RSVP: Vice President Joe Biden to appear in Philadelphia to campaign for Hillary Clinton.
RSVP: Michelle Obama to appear in Philadelphia to campaign for Hillary Clinton.
