Pennsylvania county flips red as registered Republicans outnumber Democrats

Bucks County, Penn., has flipped to more registered Republicans than registered Democrats, in a county that has voted for the Democratic presidential nominee for over 30 years.

There are now 198,045 registered Republicans and 197,781 registered Democrats, giving the GOP a 264-voter advantage, according to county data as of Monday. There are also 61,061 unaffiliated voters and 21,198 voters who are registered with other parties.

Bucks County Republican Committee Chairwoman Pat Poprick said that the flip is the result of a years-long effort by GOP organizers, the local PBS outlet reported.

“We’re all ecstatic. This is something since 2007, that’s the last time we’ve been in the majority, so this has been something that’s been very important to all of us,” Poprick said.

In November 2020, there were more than 208,000 registered Democrats in Bucks County and over 198,000 registered Republicans. The county borders Philadelphia County.

According to GOP organizers, the flip is because of Democrats becoming Republicans, new residents updating their voter registration to their current address and registering Republican, and 18-year-olds and others not previously registered becoming Republican Party members.

Dan Mallinson, associate professor of public policy and administration at Penn State Harrisburg, explained that voter registration numbers often update more slowly than voting patterns.

“Even though the Democratic presidential candidate has won in Bucks County since 1992, if you look at the actual differences between the Democratic winner and the Republican, many of those races are still very, very close, including the last election,” Mallinson said. “In the fall, we’ll know if it really now is a red county, or if those registrations are just kind of lagging how people’s voting behaviors [have] already changed.”

In the 2020 presidential election, Joe Biden won Bucks County with 51.7% of the vote, compared to then-President Donald Trump’s 47.3%. The prior presidential election cycle saw Hillary Clinton beat Trump with 48.4% of the vote in the county to 47.8%.