Lancaster County voters weigh affordability, negative ads ahead of Election Day decisions
Don and Margo Fry speak to a reporter outside of GIANT in East Lampeter Township on Monday, Nov. 2, 2026, about elections. Adamstown resident Carol Evans has voted for Democrats for years, but this year she feels her vote is of particular importance because she is concerned about “corruption” and “cruelty” in the government. Evans, 82, speaking to a reporter at Weaver Markets in Denver, pointed to President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement crackdown, saying she’s disturbed by masked federal agents taking people off the streets. She said she’s glad her father, who was a World War II veteran, is no longer alive to see what’s happening. “That is just unbelievable. Who would have ever thought, in this country, we would see that?” Evans said. Pollsters are predicting Democrats nationally will have a particularly good year because of Trump’s historically low approval ratings. The latest Franklin & Marshall College Poll released Oct. 22 showed just 29% of registered Pennsylvania voters contacted for the survey believe Trump is doing an “excellent” or “good” job as president. The poll also showed that Pennsylvania voters see the economy as the “most important problem.” Ephrata resident Jim Bitner agreed. He said an end to the war in Iran would “change everything” for Americans, particularly the high gas prices that sit above $4 a gallon in Lancaster County. The war has not stopped Washington Boro couple Don and Margo Fry from supporting Republican candidates. Margo Fry, speaking to a reporter outside a GIANT supermarket in East Lampeter Township, said she has always voted Republican, calling it the party that “best represents the freedom of America without going to communism, socialism and the evils that are prevailing right now.” “I believe the things Trump has done with Israel and Iran … was the correct decision, even though it makes things a little harder here,” she said. Bitner plans to vote Republican on Tuesday, saying Pennsylvania should have its first female governor in Stacy Garrity, the GOP nominee. He called Garrity’s background as the state treasurer and an Army veteran impressive, making her well suited to become the top executive. Still, Bitner acknowledged Garrity has struggled to secure enough support to go up against Democrat Josh Shapiro, the incumbent riding a 20-point lead in the race, according to the most recent F&M poll. “She hasn’t gotten the traction that she should have,” he said. When asked about Garrity as a candidate, Margo Fry said Garrity stands for the party that best represents her ideals. Don Fry said he believes Shapiro is better than his Democratic predecessor Tom Wolf, but said every governor will have faults, regardless of political affiliation. Bitner supports Tom Jones, the Republican nominee for the 36th Senate District, saying he knows Jones personally and believes he’s the best person for the job. Still, he said, the barrage of television ads and political mailers voters in the 36th District have received has been “nauseating” because candidates have focused their efforts on attacking their opponent. Since June, Jones and the Democratic incumbent running for reelection, James Malone, have collectively spent $5.2 million to secure the seat. Most of that money has gone toward advertisements.
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