Harrisburg, PA is a vibrant city with a rich political history. Located in the heart of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg was first settled in 1719 and has since grown into a major center for politics in the Commonwealth. The city is currently home to several state and local government buildings, including the Capitol Complex, City Hall, and many other offices. It is also home to numerous political organizations and clubs, as well as volunteer programs that are designed to encourage civic engagement. There are several prominent politicians who have represented Harrisburg over the years, such as former United States Senator Arlen Specter and former Speaker of the House Bill DeWeese. Currently, several local politicians represent the city at both federal and state levels of government. In addition to their political duties, these elected officials are responsible for organizing events that promote unity within Harrisburg’s diverse communities. From community festivals to town hall meetings, these activities help foster inclusion and understanding between Harrisburg’s many different constituencies.
The political climate in Zip 17112 (Harrisburg, PA) is leaning liberal.
Dauphin County, PA is somewhat liberal. In Dauphin County, PA 53.4% of the people voted Democrat in the last presidential election, 44.9% voted for the Republican Party, and the remaining 1.7% voted Independent.
In the last Presidential election, Dauphin county remained moderately Democratic, 53.4% to 44.9%.
Dauphin county voted Democratic in the four most recent Presidential elections, after 2000 and 2004 went Republican.
The BestPlaces liberal/conservative index
Zip 17112 (Harrisburg, PA) is leaning liberal.
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania is leaning liberal.
Dauphin County, Pennsylvania is somewhat liberal.
Harrisburg-Carlisle Metro Area is leaning conservative.
Pennsylvania is leaning liberal.
The BestPlaces liberal/conservative index is based on recent voting in national elections, federal campaign contributions by local residents, and consumer personality profiles.
VoteWord™
Displaying 20 years of Presidential voting, visualized in one word.
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: r r d d d d
How It Works:
Here at BestPlaces, we were looking at the voting patterns since the 2000 election and realized that we could express the results of each election as one letter. R if the Republican Party candidate won, D for the Democrat and I for the Independent. The six elections (2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020) would be expressed as six-letter word (R R D R R).
Then we went a little further and added the dimension of magnitude. If the difference of victory was greater than 10 percent, the letter is upper case, and lower case if the difference was less than 10 percent. This allows us to see interesting voting patterns at just a glance.
Here's the VoteWord for Iowa d r d d r. In the last six elections the state has been closely contested, voting narrowly for the Republican Party candidate in 2016 and 2020 after voting for the Democratic Party in 2008 and 2012. Virginia (r r d d d D) has voted for the Democratic Party in the last three elections.
Individual Campaign Contributions in zip 17112 (Harrisburg)
In the last 4 years (2018-2021), there were 1,842 contributions totaling $228,452 to the Democratic Party and liberal campaigns, averaging $124 per contribution.
In the last 4 years, there were 607 contributions totaling $157,827 to the Republican Party and conservative campaigns, averaging $260 per contribution.
(source: Federal Election Commission)