We're now just six days away from the election, and when it comes to the presidential race, Pennsylvania may play a bigger role than you think.
We haven't seen a political ad for either presidential candidate since the summer here, but now, that's all changing.
You may have noticed an ad running on TV with Clint Eastwood, showing support for Mitt Romney. Its part of the $2 million dollar push for Governor Romney that GOP super PAC American Crossroads has running in Pennsylvania.
Analysts have been saying the Keystone State is firmly in hand for President Obama, but now the president only holds a 4.7 advantage, down from a near nine-point lead just one month ago.
So we wanted find out if these ads running in Pennsylvania mean that our state isn't as blue as everyone has said. We asked Mercyhurst University Political Science Professor Dr. Michael Federici to get his thoughts on the ads.
"What will really tell you what they think about Pennsylvania is to follow the money," said Dr. Federici. "Follow the money and follow the candidates. And if the money flows to Pennsylvania and the candidates come to Pennsylvania, that tells you that they think its in play."
Now Dr. Federici did say that the most time and money will be spent in Ohio. He believes both candidates will be paying visits to that battle ground state, trying to nab their 18 electoral votes. But the state may not be a must win for Romney.
"If there was any way that Governor Romney could win Pennsylvania, I think that in and of itself would pretty much give the election to him," said Dr. Federici. "Pennsylvania has two more electoral votes than Ohio, so if Romney can win Pennsylvania, he doesn't really need Ohio to win."
Dr. Federici says the fact that Romney is being considered "in play" in Pennsylvania is due to his performance in the first debate. And as long as the lead stays under five percent, the key to winning a state like Pennsylvania is voter turnout.
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