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As voters go to the polls today in Fayette, Westmoreland, Washington and Greene counties, there will be more registered Republicans casting ballots than in the past elections.

According to the local election bureau figures, Republican voter registration numbers continue to climb at a faster pace than their Democratic counterparts throughout the four counties.

Pollster Dr. G. Terry Madonna, Franklin and Marshall College Politics and Public Affairs director, said it is decadelong trend taking place in rural areas, like southwestern Pennsylvania.

Since January, 346 former Democrats have changed their voter registration to Republican in Fayette County, while 145 registered Republicans opted to join the Democratic Party.

In 2016, 2,109 Democratic Fayette County residents switched their party affiliation to Republican, while 216 Republicans changed over to the Democratic Party.

Westmoreland County, too, saw continued party switching among its voters, said Beth Lechman, election bureau director.

A total of 581 voters changed from Democratic to Republican, with 191 Republicans switching to the Democratic Party.

In Washington County, 291 Democratic voters opted to switch party affiliations with 88 Republicans doing likewise.

While the pace has dwindled, Tina Kiger, Greene County Election Bureau director, said 53 Democratic Party registrants moved to the Republican Party with 21 GOP members moving to the Democratic Party.

Last year, 317 Greene County residents opted to sign on with the Democratic Party with 653 people with the Republican Party.

Despite the changes, the four counties sustain their long-standing Democratic majority.

In Fayette County, the margin remains at 44,417-25,996 while in Westmoreland Democrats outnumber Republicans by 112,145 to 104,238 margin, according to state Department of Elections figures.

The margin between registered Democrats and Republicans continue to decrease in Washington County with less than 12,000 voters separating the two parties. Greene County, too, is seeing a narrowing margin between the two parties with state registration figures showing 11,795 Democrats and 7,995 Republican voters.

Beth Melena, Pennsylvania State Democratic Party deputy press secretary, said Democrats remain committed to their party and the candidates that will appear on todays ballot.

Pennsylvania has a Democratic registration edge of more than 815,000 voters thats greater than the entire population of North Dakota, she said. We have an excellent slate of highly qualified men and women running for statewide judicial seats this year who are committed to serving the people of Pennsylvania and who are dedicated to transparency and integrity. Democrats are fired up and talking to their neighbors, their friends, and their communities about their values and what they believe in, and that is the key to ensuring that Democrats go on to electoral victories this year and in the years ahead.

Madonna, meanwhile, attributes the voter registration trend to a growing chasm among those residing in the larger cities to those opting for a more rural lifestyle.

Although evolving over time, the divide between urban and suburban Pennsylvania and rural and small towns in the state was made crystal clear in the fall presidential election, he said.

You had the classic urban and suburban candidate in Hillary Clinton and the rural and small town candidate in Donald Trump, he said. (Trump) carried 56 of the 67 Pennsylvania counties.

He won the northeast and southwest (portions of the state) that put him over the top and gave him the 44,000-vote edge. These are rural and small town pieces of Pennsylvania and voters who are the working class, with high school educations or less, and families that were displaced due to coal mine and steel mill closures that were a part of the great industrial revolution that went away.

The strategy of the Trump campaign to offer support to the typically Democratic rust-belt states like Pennsylvania, resonated with voters, added Madonna.

(Trump) was the first candidate since Bill Clinton, in 1992, that campaigned among them; talked about bringing back manufacturing and talked about bringing back coal and steel, he said.

Democratic voters, like GOP members, too, were responsive to Trumps stance on moving the XL Pipeline project forward, exiting the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), Madonna added.

(It was these Democratic voters that became) his core supporters, and that is where we see the Republican voter registration go up, he said.

Turnout is critical in any race, said Madonna, noting that Democrats turned out in large numbers for former President Barack Obama in 2004 and 2008, but did not for Clinton in her presidential bid.

However, both long-time and new Republicans ramped up their efforts to put Trump over the top.

It takes an advantage for one party and a downturn for the other (for success), said Madonna.

Trumps support, too, was likely bolstered by his campaign visits to rural areas that would typically cast their ballot for the Democratic nominee, he added.

As to whether Republicans will see continued success today at the polls will be determined by the voters, said Madonna.

Ill be watching, he said.

Polls will be open until 8 p.m.

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Republicans narrow registration gap with Democrats in advance of primary election - Uniontown Herald Standard

Washington Times

For Republicans, it's getting dangerous out there Washington Times The congressman, David Kustoff, is a Republican. And for Republicans the nation over, it's getting pretty dang dangerous out there. This particular story ended with Wendi Wright, 35, being arrested and charged with felony reckless endangerment. And the ... and more »

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For Republicans, it's getting dangerous out there - Washington Times

Meg Kinnard, Associated Press

Special spotlight: SC Republicans vie to replace Mulvaney

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) The special election spotlight has rolled on to South Carolina, where two Republicans are vying to be the party's candidate in the race for the seat vacated by GOP Rep. Mick Mulvaney.

In a special election primary earlier this month, voters in the Republican-leaning 5th Congressional District south of Charlotte rejected the flamethrowers and alternative candidates in a seven-way GOP primary selecting more mainstream candidates Ralph Norman and Tommy Pope to face each other in Tuesday's runoff.

The winner will face well-funded Democrat Archie Parnell on June 20.

Both GOP candidates selectively align with President Donald Trump, supporting his proposed border wall with Mexico as well as favoring his efforts to promote U.S. economic growth by loosening federal regulations.

But while Pope has the support of several high-profile state Republicans and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Norman has gotten the backing of more hard-right conservative organizations from outside the state. That vein of support includes Ted Cruz, who will be in the district Monday to campaign for Norman, and the Club For Growth's political arm, which has run ads such as one slamming Pope for supporting a plan then-South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley called "a backdoor attempt to implement Obamacare in South Carolina."

The congressional district, which spans 11 counties and stretches north from Columbia, had been in Democratic hands for more than 100 years until the 2010 election, when Mulvaney unseated longtime Democratic Rep. John Spratt, partly due to redistricting after the 2010 census.

TOMMY POPE

Pope, first elected to the state House in 2010, serves as its speaker pro tem, the chamber's No. 2 official. The York attorney was the top vote-getter in the May 2 GOP primary election, edging out Norman by less than 1 percent of votes cast.

Perhaps best known as the prosecutor who put South Carolina mother Susan Smith in prison for life for killing her two young sons in the 1990s, Pope had planned a 2018 gubernatorial bid but abandoned that effort after Mulvaney's seat opened up upon his confirmation as White House budget director.

Pope has been a major backer of raising the state's gas tax to get more funding for the state's roads, as well as ethics reform, sponsoring a bill to revamp the State Ethics Commission and require officials to report the sources of income on their income tax returns, as well as income sources of their spouses and dependent children.

Pope has gotten backing from House Speaker Jay Lucas, state Agriculture Commissioner Hugh Weathers and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

RALPH NORMAN

Norman, a Rock Hill real estate developer, resigned from his state House seat earlier this year to concentrate on the congressional race. First sent to Columbia in 2004, he resigned two years later, when he unsuccessfully challenged Spratt.

Re-elected to his seat in 2008, Norman became a chief advocate for former Gov. Nikki Haley when the Republican was elected governor in 2010. At times, he was the sole vote on her side: in 2012, Norman cast the lone vote to sustain Haley's veto on a bill meant to help undo a permit allowing Georgia to expand its port in Savannah.

Haley hasn't forgotten that support. As the runoff approached, the current U.N. ambassador sent a $100 contribution to Norman's campaign coffers.

Norman is endorsed by former state GOP Chairman Chad Connelly, who finished third in the May 2 primary, and FreedomWorks, a conservative political action group, as well as Cruz and Jim DeMint.

___

Kinnard reported from Columbia, South Carolina. Reach her at http://twitter.com/MegKinnardAP. Read her work at https://apnews.com/search/meg%20kinnard.

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Special spotlight: SC Republicans vie to replace Mulvaney - SFGate

When House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz announced in April that he would not seek reelection, speculation reigneddid the powerful Utah Republicanhave his eyes onanother office? Did he have a more lucrativeoffer? Was there a scandal no one knew about?

Certainly, Chaffetz has not closed the door on future political bids, including for Utah governor in 2020. His campaign site, jasoninthehouse.com, briefly redirected to jasonforgovernor.com (both have now beenshut down). And while hes been vague about his ambitions to return to office at some point, he was definitivethat his sudden exit was not prompted by scandal.Ive been given more enemas by more people over the last eight years than you can possibly imagine, Chaffetz told Politico.If they had something really scandalous, it wouldve come out a long, long time ago.

There is another possibility. According to two GOP lawmakers who have spoken to Chaffetz directly and four senior House Republican aides,Chaffetzhas been telling peoplehelltakeon what one source calls a substantial role in on-air talent at Fox News Channel, possibly as early asJuly, amplifying whispersthat Chaffetz will not finish out his current term.

Chaffetz, 50, has said onFacebookhemade a personal decision to return to the private sector. Some observers in Utahspeculatedthat he might join Fox News in some capacity. His announcement came the same day as the network revealedit would cut ties with Bill OReilly.

It is unclear what precise role Chaffetz may play at Fox, or if a deal hasin fact been finalized.Spokespeople for Fox declined to return multiple requestsfor comment.

Chaffetz was a frequent face on the network before and duringthe 2016 race, whether needling President Obama or assuring viewers that his committee had years of material prepared against Hillary Clinton should she succeed him.

Lets just say that when Jason told us he was headed to Fox,no one was surprised, says one senior House Republican aide.

Says aHouse Republican member close to Chaffetz: I know he was gunning for itFox was his first choice once he announced his plans not to seek reelection.

Hes probably one of the most media-capable members in the House, adds another senior House Republican aide,just based on total time spent on a television camera.

A spokesperson for Chaffetz declined to comment.

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Jason Chaffetz Has Been Telling Republicans He Will Join Fox News - Washingtonian.com

Proof of residency. Photo ID. Preregister.

For some members of Congress, the unusually strict requirements they've put in place for who can attend their town halls sound more like a trip to the DMV than an invitation to practice democracy. And those are the few lawmakers who have agreed to hold town halls at all while on break from Congress this past week.

The seem to be a direct response to the intense activism springing upacross the nation right now, driven mostly but not completely by the left of the political spectrum. It'screating some tense moments for Republicans who decide to hold town halls and no-win situations for Republicans who don't.

Caught up in the middle are Americans who feel left out of having their say in this remarkable moment in U.S. politics.s but can't

Here's a sampling of the rules town hall attendees are being asked to follow:

Rep. Rod Blum (R-Iowa): Please note that entry will be reserved to constituents of Iowa's 1st District. To verify residency, please RSVP here and bring a photo ID to the town hall. RSVP and photo ID will be required for entry. Information provided during registration must match address on photo ID. No backpacks, signs, banners, or artificial noisemakers will be allowed into the event.

Rep. John Katko (R-N.Y.): The one-hour event will not be a traditional town hall meeting open to any member of the public who wants to stop by. Instead, the television stations will distribute about 100 tickets through an online lottery. (His office says the requirements were put in place by the TV station hosting the event.)

Rep. Thomas Garrett (R-Va.): You must present a valid state issued I.D. that matches your registration information in order to gain entry to the event. No cheering, clapping, jeering, or signs are allowed at the event. Civil dialogue only, please.

Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.): She held a town hall in February that was only open to prescreened residents of the town she was in, Fairview, who had reserved seats in advance. At one point, the town's mayor took the eventoff the city's website because,the mayor told CNN, officials wantedit to be a low key community meeting.

The lawmakers' rationale behindall the new rules: Town halls are being exploited by liberal advocacy groups with national motives. So, it makes sense to close them down to people who actually belong to the district.

Garrett's 200-ish-person town hall at a church outside Roanoke the other night, for example, was lined with police officers who are investigating credible threats to his family.

Other lawmakers have taken note.

I will not risk public safety to entertain individuals that have no desire to respectfully discuss important issues, Rep. Kenny Marchant (R-Tex.) told a Dallas Morning News watchdog columnist this week about why he's not holding a town hall nor advertising his office location. The only complaints received are from members of the obstructionist group Indivisible.

There's no rule that lawmakers have to hold town halls when they're back in their districts. But for those who do, putting limits on who can attend kindof flies in the face of having one in the first place, said Norm Ornstein, a congressional ethics expert: Even when you had the conservative outrage over Obamacare, I don't recall anyone trying to preselect attendance. The unwillingness to take criticism or any heat from a legislative decision is really unusual.

A staffer for a Republican representing a solid GOP district, who agreed to speak candidly on condition of anonymity, said anything that's labeleda town hall should generally be pretty open to whomever wants to come.

The liberal advocacy group on the receiving end of most of the finger pointing from Republicans, Indivisible, denies orchestrating any protests.

The group, set up by former congressional staffers after Trump's win, says it provides tools to help people get the attention of their lawmakers how to ask for a town hall, what questions to ask, how to how to stage die ins and other attention-grabbing protests.

Aside from that, they are out there talking about the things that matter to them and we're not directing to anyone. said Angel Padilla with Indivisible.

Stacy Nelson, who lives in the Raleigh, N.C., area, is one of those self-organizing people frustrated by the lack of access to her member of Congress. She and a group of seven others met on Facebook because they had a mutual interest in asking Rep. George Holding (R-N.C.) what he can do to force President Trump to release his tax returns. She said her group is a mix ofDemocrats and Republicans who live in the district who just want to talk with their congressman: We have a high school social studies teacher, a retired pastor, a small-business owner

After three months of negotiating, they finally got a meeting with Holding on Wednesday. We have full-time jobs, Nelson said a day before the meeting. None of us are paid protesters, we're just concerned. We are not going to be confrontational, we just want him to listen. There's never been an opportunity.

Those who do brave the town hall format have come out of it bruised. Rep. Tom MacArthur, the moderate Republican who pretty much single-handedly revived the House's controversial health-care bill, visited a liberal enclave in his swingNew Jersey district Wednesday night and spent five hours defending himself to 200 irate constituents.

Protesters demonstrated outside of a town hall hosted by Rep. Tom MacArthur (R-N.J.) on May 10 after he voted to pass the GOP health-care bill. (Twitter/@brianbaumley)

I hear people calling me an idiot. I hear people shouting curse words, an exasperated MacArthur finally said. I wonder, I really wonder how any of you would perform in Congress with that attitude.

Blum, a conservative lawmaker representing a swingy Iowa district, made national headlines earlier this week for walking out of a TV interview when pressed on why he's screening his attendees.

Rep. Rod Blum (R-Iowa) walked out of an interview with Iowa station KCRG-TV9 after being asked about taking donations by investigative reporter Josh Scheinblum. (KCRG-TV9)

And Blackburn's low key" community meeting in a Tennessee town of 8,000 was filled with 130 attendees, with more protesters outside. Blackburn later claimed just one-third of the attendees were from her district but she could provide no evidence, leading city officials to publicly contradict her in local media.

Those are the stories of lawmakers who hold town halls at all. Left-leaning Town Hall Project has been tracking how many of the 217 House Republicans who voted for the House health-care bill held a town hall this week during a break in Congress. Their count: 16.

And more than a dozen people from across the country reached out to The Fix to share their frustration that their lawmaker won't even meet with them.

At this point Im not even sure its a real person who just voted against me and my family, said Candace Bonds, who said she's been calling the office every other day of her representative, Rep. Ken Calvert (R-Calif.), to better understand how his vote for the House's health-care bill will affect her husband's diabetes treatment.

Democratic lawmakers and some hopeful challengers are taking advantage of Republicans' absence, traveling to neighboring Republican districts to hold their own town halls. Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) called The Post on his way backfrom a town hall in House Speaker Paul D. Ryan's (R-Wis.) district Friday afternoon. Pocan said about 250-300 people showed up to vent their frustrations on everything from health care to the Trump-Russia drama.

"He is refusing to do one, so I figured someone should show up," Pocan said.

It's somewhat paradoxical, said Padilla of Indivisible, but he thinks lawmakers are closing offtown halls precisely becausethey are hearing from their constituents.

We really think that's proof that their advocacy is workingand that it's changing behavior, Padilla said. At the end of the day, it's going to change the way they vote in Congress.

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To hold a town hall or not? It's a lose-lose situation for many Republicans right now. - Washington Post