JD Vance and Tim Walz, the Republican and Democratic candidates for the post of US vice president, will face each other for the first time tonight. What they say in their debate could have an impact on undecided voters. How they cast their ballots is crucial in the tight race to the White House — especially in swing states like Pennsylvania.
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00:00It may look like just any other small post-industrial town in America.
00:06But it is places like Johnstown that could decide who the next U.S. president will be.
00:11Johnstown is in Pennsylvania, a so-called swing state, one of a handful that have the potential to sway the outcome of a national election.
00:22Here, every vote counts.
00:25It's why Jeffrey Plummer and his colleagues are out knocking on doors, trying to convince fellow Pennsylvanians to vote for Harris and Walz.
00:35If we don't do it, who else is going to do it? We have to get out here and get these people to vote and hopefully we can get them on our side to vote.
00:42And we're out in this area just canvassing, making sure everyone's planning on voting in November. Do you plan on voting?
00:47Probably. If I'm going to vote, probably. I don't know who for though. Still studying it.
00:52Tracking feedback is crucial. Jeffrey records who people tell him they will vote for.
00:58The data is then shared with other union representatives so they know who to return to for another chat.
01:05Undecided. Undecided.
01:09Some people have already made up their minds.
01:13I do like Trump because he did close the borders. I like him a lot. Because, you know, we got enough people. We got enough American people.
01:24We don't got enough jobs for them. Well, I don't understand why bring in more people.
01:30The tight battle for the White House is reflected in the signs in front of the houses.
01:36Biden narrowly won Johnstown by 80 votes in 2020. In the presidential election before that, Trump had won the city by a similar margin.
01:46Usually, a vice presidential pick is made to add something to the main candidate.
01:52For James A. Clark, a Vietnam veteran, what Walz brings to the Democrats could help Harris win.
02:00Well, Walz covers a lot of bases that Kamala Harris may not, although it really shouldn't matter, but it does.
02:07And he seems to be an all-around regular sort of fellow. He seems to be cognizant of what the real problems are on the ground, unlike J.D. Vance.
02:17In a nearby Republican party headquarter, campaigning is also kicking into high gear.
02:25Their methods may look old-fashioned, but data plays a big role here, too. Republicans are also ready to fight for every single vote.
02:36If they had 179 new registrations and we had 193 in the city, you can see that actually we're outpacing them.
02:51Next door, gold coins and guns are on offer at Chuck Erickson's shop.
02:56He believes J.D. Vance doesn't add just something new to Trump's ticket, but that he also could secure Republican power for years to come.
03:06I thought he was a good young gentleman. He has a lot of good experience, has military experience also.
03:12And he also, of course, in the government now. And he's just a well-rounded suburban type of a person, more than a person from the city that's got a different viewpoint of what the country should be.
03:28It's been hours. Jeffrey and his colleagues are still knocking on doors.
03:35With all the hours they're running, I don't know which way I'm going. And there are some positive and negative things about all the candidates out there, and I'm just trying to make up my mind.
03:48They will continue their work to Election Day, knowing that the next chapter of American history will be written in towns like theirs.