By Dr Campbell Campbell-Jack
November 17, 2024
Fleeing persecution in 18th century Europe, they arrived in the New World where William Penn offered them refuge in Pennsylvania. Due to their work ethic and emphasis on family ties the community boomed over the years. It is estimated that of the 400,000 Amish in America 92,000 live in Pennsylvania. The largest of the swing states with 19 votes in the electoral college, after going Democrat in 2020, it swung Trump’s way 2024. It was not the Amish vote which pushed Trump over the line, but it exemplifies why many did vote for Trump.
The Amish like to keep themselves to themselves and their political involvement is usually minimal. Their stance changed this year largely due to a government raid on the Bird-in-Hand farm of Amish farmer Amos Miller. Pennsylvania’s Department of Agriculture found that Miller didn’t have a permit to sell milk in the state, despite the fact that he and his family had been selling milk for generations. Agents from the Department of Agriculture raided his farm and seized much of his food and dairy products. In the ensuing case, Miller was banned from selling milk in Pennsylvania, with the case ongoing.
The case was seen by the Amish community as government tyranny and helped mobilise them against the party of Governor Josh Shapiro, a Democrat. The Republicans grasped their opportunity and initiated a serious registration drive, the first in Amish history, and the Amish responded by voting for Trump in ‘unprecedented numbers’.
What was viewed as an overzealous government was rejected by the Amish who responded by voting for Donald Trump, whose Republican party favours less government intervention in the life of the people. ‘That was the impetus for them to say, “We need to participate”,’ a source said of Amish voters. ‘This is about neighbours helping neighbours.’