Pennsylvania voters back Zelensky’s controversial Air Force One trip to ammunition plant, poll finds

Pennsylvania voters had no problem with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visiting an ammunition plant in the state, according to a new J.L. Partners/DailyMail.com poll.

In September, the Ukrainian President thanked staff at a plant near Scranton for producing the 155mm artillery shells that have helped keep invading Russian troops at bay.

The trip was criticized by Republicans as Zelensky traveled on a US Air Force plane and was joined by top Kamala Harris supporters and Democrats who are running for reelection in the critical swing state.

But a poll of 500 likely voters revealed that most Pennsylvanians do not share their concerns.

Some 42 percent said the visit was appropriate while 37 percent said it was not. Another 21 percent did not have an opinion.

That could offer a lesson for Donald Trump and his running mate J.D. Vance as they tailor their messaging in a state that will have a huge impact on the outcome of the presidential election.

The Trump wing of the Republican Party has made clear it has little appetite for sending money and arms to Ukraine. 

And Vance, for example, went after Zelensky during an event in Newtown., Pennsylvania.

‘He came to campaign with the Democratic leadership of this country,’ he said.

‘We have spent $200 billion on Ukraine. You know what I wish Zelensky would do when he comes to the United States of America? 

‘Say thank you to the people of Pennsylvania and everybody else.’ 

Zelensky visited the plant on September 22. He was accompanied by the state’s governor Josh Shapiro, a Democrat and high-profile Harris booster, as well as Rep. Matt Cartwright and Sen. Bob Casey, who both face competitive reelection fights.

‘It is in places like this where you can truly feel that the democratic world can prevail,’ Zelensky posted on X. 

‘Thanks to people like these—in Ukraine, in America, and in all partner countries—who work tirelessly to ensure that life is protected.’

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signs a 155mm artillery shell after a tour of the Scranton Army Ammunition Plant on Sept. 22 in Pennsylvania

This handout photograph taken by the Ukrainian Presidential press service on September 22, 2024, shows the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky arriving for his visit at Scranton Army Ammunition Plant in Scranton, Pennsylvania, September 22, 2024.

But it infuriated Republicans including House Speaker Mike Johnson, who accused him of electioneering with Democrats.

‘The tour was clearly a partisan campaign event designed to help Democrats and is clearly election interference,’ he wrote in a public letter. 

Republicans also criticized the Biden administration for using taxpayer money and military resources to fly Zelensky on an Air Force C-17 jet. 

James Johnson, co-founder of J.L. Partners, said: ‘The view of more Pennsylvanians than not is that Zelensky’s visit to the state was appropriate. That is a useful corrective to a lazy idea that Ukraine and its leader is disliked by regular Americans. 

‘However, it is no campaign asset for Harris. 

‘When we ask voters in the Keystone State who they most trust on global conflicts, their answer is resoundingly Donald Trump. The more Ukraine and foreign issues are in the news, the better it is for Trump—even if voters sympathize with Zelensky’s plight.’

Pennsylvania likely holds the key the presidential  election.

And our poll shows that the race could not be tighter. If the election were held tomorrow, Donald Trump and Kamala Harris would win the same proportion of the vote: 47 percent each.

Both campaigns are pouring money and people into the state during the final, frantic weeks before November 5.