Biden Faces Skeptical Oil Workers in Swing States Like Ohio

Bloomberg’s Ari Natter talked to ConservAmerica President Jeff Kupfer this week about voter reaction to comments by Democratic presidential candidates Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders about banning hydraulic fracturing on public lands.

Joe Biden’s chief claim to the Democratic nomination is that he can compete better in the Rust Belt states that Donald Trump won in 2016 -- places like Ohio and his native Pennsylvania, where he grew up in Scranton.

But to win there, he’ll have to overcome his party’s baggage on energy.

Many Rust Belt voters rely on oil and natural gas jobs and they’re wary of Democratic proposals, such as the “Green New Deal,” that push for “net-zero emissions” and would effectively put coal and other fossil fuels out of business. The party has also taken aim at fracking, which has become the lifeblood of many previously down-and-out rural communities in those states.

Biden has struck a more moderate tone. He doesn’t support a fracking ban, and has indicated he sees a future role for fossil fuels like coal and natural gas. But he still faces skeptical voters in an industry that a Bloomberg News analysis shows employs nearly 5 million people across the nation, including hundreds of thousands in politically important swing states.

“History has shown that people almost always vote with their pocketbook, especially if they believe that their jobs or livelihood are at risk,” said Jeffrey Kupfer, an adjunct professor of policy at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. “In a close election, that could make a real difference.”

The issue emerged during Sunday’s Democratic presidential debate, when Biden, in response to criticism from Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, vowed “no new fracking.” The oil industry and the Trump campaign were quick to pounce.

Read the full story at Bloomberg.com.