A Democratic dark horse visited Pennsylvania. Workers' message was simple. - Zito WaPo

COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. — Members of the United Auto Workers gathered in a U in a hotel conference room not far from Dana Inc.’s facility in Montgomery County. Most of them have worked at the 105-year-old auto parts plant for years. Their guest: Ro Khanna, a California Democrat known as a policy maven on the left — and whose name is often thrown around as a potential dark horse presidential contender. From the head of the table, he had a clear view to gauge everyone’s reactions to his questions about their lives, how they see the world, and what they expect from the party.

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Going to middle-of-somewhere places is something Khanna told me he has been doing for years — nine years, to be exact — frequently visiting cities such as Allentown in the Lehigh Valley and Johnstown in Cambria County at least three times. “It is important to visit places like Bucks and Cambria counties, places that have not had economic prosperity. And for that I say ‘shame on us’ as a nation that we did not do better by those communities for decades,” he said. “You cannot have a nation half prosperous and half in economic decline. And I think a lot of people who voted for President Trump said, ‘Look, for 40 years, 50 years, we’ve been seeing our kids have less opportunity. The system isn’t working. We’ve got to blow the system up.’”

If the Silicon Valley congressman is running for president, he is not saying, and he denied any connection between his visits and any ambitions to be on a national ticket in 2028. But he says if his party isn’t able to convince voters in Pennsylvania, it needs to rethink both its message and purpose. Pennsylvania, with its 19 electoral votes, is one of the must-win swing states, and within Pennsylvania, the area including Bucks and Montgomery counties is one of the most important swing areas.

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“I want to listen,” Khanna said. “I want to understand, ‘What did we do wrong? What are we not getting? Why are we disconnected? What can we do better?’ And I really have come at it not with, like, ‘Hey, here’s my plan,’ but have them tell me what would make a difference.” What he has heard so far, he said, is that voters want to hear a real vision and road map for what is going to create well-paying jobs or how people are going to be able to afford a house or how their kids will be able to make a living. What they tell him is pretty simple, he said: “We just want economic independence and economic vision, and we don’t want to be judged, and we want to be respected for what we’ve done to build this country.”

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