PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Political experts are weighing in on how former President Donald Trump’s conviction of 34 felony counts by a jury in a “hush money” trial on Thursday will impact the political landscape in Pennsylvania.
The jury found that Trump illegally falsified business records to conceal his fraud. $130,000 payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election.
There’s a lot of love for Trump in the law office of Washington County Republican Chairman Sean Logue.
“Trump is our champion,” he said.
He said it made it even more painful to hear that Trump was found guilty on all charges in a Manhattan courtroom on Thursday.
“I have mixed emotions,” he said. “I think it’s a sad day for the republic. It’s an unfair trial.”
Logue said he and other Republicans believe it was a rigged trial. Eugene Mazo, a professor of political science and law at Duquesne University, disagreed.
“I think the trial was very fair and I think the judge tried as hard as he could to make it fair,” Mazo said.
Both Mazo and University of Pittsburgh professor Christine Kantak see Thursday as historic.
“This is an important day and a moment to wonder if this is finally the place where people stop thinking about these issues based on which team they’re rooting for,” Kantak said.
Asked if this would have an impact on the election, Kantak said: “I don’t think it will.”
“One of the issues here is that attitudes about Donald Trump are pretty entrenched,” Kantak said.
Mazo wonders how the ruling will affect the 10 percent of voters who are still undecided heading into the election.
“The other message is that the United States is so polarized that it’s not clear that this message will have any impact on either candidate,” Mazo said.
Logue added that he believes the verdict will determine a clear winner politically, and that Republicans will rally to the former president’s side.
“This will only help Trump,” he said.
Kantak said the real verdict would be made after the Nov. 5 election when the votes are counted.
