The shuttered Bethlehem Steel plant in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
Photographer: Rachel Wisniewski/BloombergA Bellwether Pennsylvania Factory Town Is Wary of Bidenomics
Northampton County in Pennsylvania has been shaped by its industrial past. Yet even here the president’s bid to spur manufacturing is not without its critics.
Bethlehem Steel was once a symbol of American manufacturing might, the output of its blast furnaces used in the construction of the Empire State Building and the Golden Gate Bridge. Based in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, it was the world’s second-largest steelmaker at its peak, employing thousands across the region until production ended in the late 1990s.
Two decades on, reviving US industry is a core focus of the presidential election — and Northampton is a bellwether county in a swing state that will help decide the outcome.