All eyes are on Pennsylvania this election cycle. Erie County demonstrates why.

In April, Erie, Pennsylvania, resident Bekah Mook was undecided on the presidential election. She didn’t want to see another Trump term, but had concerns about President Biden’s age.

But with just over a month until Election Day, she said she’s now “all Kamala.”

“There's not one percentage of Trump in there,” said Mook, 34.

The change at the top of the Democratic ticket — when President Biden suspended his reelection bid and Vice President Kamala Harris became the new nominee — has energized voters like Mook who were not happy with their previous choices. But polls suggest the race is still neck-and-neck in the critical swing state of Pennsylvania.

Erie County is the battleground within the battleground: The county — and the state — went twice for Obama, then for Trump in 2016, and for Biden in 2020. Demographically, the county also mirrors the state, consisting of a Democratic city center, conservative rural areas and ideologically mixed suburbs.

Driving down a neighborhood street, you get a sense of just how closely divided this place is: One yard is bedecked with Harris-Walz signs, and the next with "Trump 2024" and “Drain the Swamp.” Block after block, the signs compete with one another.

That means even slight movement to the left or right could have a significant impact.

County chairs say their voters are tuned in

Erie County Democratic Chairperson Sam Talarico said he’s seen a surge of enthusiasm since Harris took over at the top of the ticket.

“It has been crazy, actually,” Talarico said. “I mean, we had 60 people on our volunteer list the day before [Biden] dropped out. And right now we have 310 people on our volunteer list.”

The issue, Talarico said, was “Joe Biden’s age, plain and simple.”

“There are a lot of