In the 2024 race for Pennsylvania's 19 electoral votes, our area is getting a lot of attention.

Both presidential candidates will be spending their final day of campaigning in Berks County and the Lehigh Valley.

But why?

The Lehigh Valley has formally been noted as the swingiest part of the swing state. If you look at the voting history of the counties in our region you'll see many of them have swung back and forth between voting for Democratic and Republican candidates.

And even when one candidate does win, it's by incredibly slim margins.

On the last day of the campaign trail Presidential candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are making their finals stops in our region.

"This is where the Presidents or Presidential candidates are deciding to put their last appearances, and that tells you everything you need to know about the importance of this part of Pennsylvania," says Chris Borick, Political Science Professor & Institute of Public Opinion Director, Muhlenberg College. 

It's been a destination spot for the two. Political analysts say that's because historically counties in the Lehigh Valley have gone back and forth in which party they vote for.

"The Lehigh Valley did go for Joe Biden, helped him win Pennsylvania four years earlier. Lehigh County went to Hillary Clinton, but Northampton County went to Donald Trump," explained Borick. 

If you look at the 2023 voter registration statistics, Berks County is almost split down the middle with nearly 50/50 registered Democrats and Republicans.

"Voters in Berks County are willing to go one way or the other. They're willing to split their tickets. And for them, it really is about the candidate and not necessarily about the party," says Sam Chen, Republican Strategist. 

Meanwhile, Northampton County has about 15,000 more registered Democratic voters than Republican, but Trump won the county in 2016.

"It's pretty clear that there's a real need to, one, win Northampton. President Biden won in 2020, former President Trump won in 2016 like Northampton is really the bellwether county, but you've got to boost numbers in the Lehigh Valley and in Allentown," explained PA Rep. Mike Schlossberg, (D) District 132. 

Republicans won in Pennsylvania in 2016 by about half a percent and Democrats in 2020 won by about a percent.

So, that shows you just how slim the presidential results can be in the state.

The polls right now for Trump and Harris are looking neck and neck.