No other swing state has been as hotly contested in the US election as Pennsylvania. Trump traps Latinos and blacks, Harris relies on women. A local look between city and country.

“Reading brings together the worst things about a city.” Erica, who is in her mid-30s, returned to her hometown of Reading in Berks County, Pennsylvania, two weeks ago. Life here follows the schedule of freight trains, rushing through downtown every few hours.

The railway once made Reading – the name of the town in Berkshire, England – rich. In the American version of Monopoly you can buy them as expensive land. Today the name Reading here is mostly pronounced in Spanish, and nearly 70 percent of the population has Latin American roots. Reading is one of the poorest small towns in America, with one in three children growing up in poverty. But that’s not the reason many people are visiting there these days: Donald Trump’s campaign team opened an office here over the summer.

»REating brings together the worst things about a city.

Erika

Maid returns to her hometown in Berks County after a breakup – and laments the poverty there.

It’s a signal to the Latino community in the swing state of Pennsylvania. The state has 19 electoral votes in the Electoral College in this presidential election. The candidate who wins Pennsylvania on November 5th can expect to move to the White House on January 20th.

Republican Trump and Democratic incumbent Vice President Kamala Harris are currently voting there. In a Rust Belt state, a few votes in two weeks can make a difference — for the entire country.