A recent poll conducted by J.L. Partners/DailyMail.com has revealed that Pennsylvania voters largely supported Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to an ammunition plant in the state.
In September, President Zelensky expressed his gratitude to the employees at a plant near Scranton, recognizing their efforts in producing the 155mm artillery shells crucial in defending against Russian forces.
The visit drew criticism from Republicans, who disapproved of Zelensky’s use of a US Air Force plane and his company, which included prominent Kamala Harris supporters and key Democrats campaigning for reelection in this pivotal swing state.
However, a survey of 500 likely voters indicates that the majority of Pennsylvanians are not aligned with these criticisms.
According to the poll, 42 percent of respondents viewed the visit as appropriate, while 37 percent disagreed. Meanwhile, 21 percent remained undecided.
Voters in the critical swing state of Pennsylvania don’t share Republican concerns about Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to an ammunition factory in Scranton
This sentiment could serve as a strategic consideration for Donald Trump and his running mate J.D. Vance as they refine their campaign approach in Pennsylvania, a state that plays a crucial role in the upcoming presidential election.
The Trump wing of the Republican Party has made clear it has little appetite for sending money and arms to Ukraine.
And Vance, for example, went after Zelensky during an event in Newtown., Pennsylvania.
‘He came to campaign with the Democratic leadership of this country,’ he said.
‘We have spent $200 billion on Ukraine. You know what I wish Zelensky would do when he comes to the United States of America?
‘Say thank you to the people of Pennsylvania and everybody else.’
Zelensky visited the plant on September 22. He was accompanied by the state’s governor Josh Shapiro, a Democrat and high-profile Harris booster, as well as Rep. Matt Cartwright and Sen. Bob Casey, who both face competitive reelection fights.
‘It is in places like this where you can truly feel that the democratic world can prevail,’ Zelensky posted on X.
‘Thanks to people like these—in Ukraine, in America, and in all partner countries—who work tirelessly to ensure that life is protected.’
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signs a 155mm artillery shell after a tour of the Scranton Army Ammunition Plant on Sept. 22 in Pennsylvania
This handout photograph taken by the Ukrainian Presidential press service on September 22, 2024, shows the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky arriving for his visit at Scranton Army Ammunition Plant in Scranton, Pennsylvania, September 22, 2024.
But it infuriated Republicans including House Speaker Mike Johnson, who accused him of electioneering with Democrats.
‘The tour was clearly a partisan campaign event designed to help Democrats and is clearly election interference,’ he wrote in a public letter.
Republicans also criticized the Biden administration for using taxpayer money and military resources to fly Zelensky on an Air Force C-17 jet.
James Johnson, co-founder of J.L. Partners, said: ‘The view of more Pennsylvanians than not is that Zelensky’s visit to the state was appropriate. That is a useful corrective to a lazy idea that Ukraine and its leader is disliked by regular Americans.
‘However, it is no campaign asset for Harris.
‘When we ask voters in the Keystone State who they most trust on global conflicts, their answer is resoundingly Donald Trump. The more Ukraine and foreign issues are in the news, the better it is for Trump—even if voters sympathize with Zelensky’s plight.’
Pennsylvania likely holds the key the presidential election.
And our poll shows that the race could not be tighter. If the election were held tomorrow, Donald Trump and Kamala Harris would win the same proportion of the vote: 47 percent each.
Both campaigns are pouring money and people into the state during the final, frantic weeks before November 5.
