Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., speaks in August during the Democratic National Convention, in Chicago. He visited Butler County on Nov. 1. AP file Photo

Butler County has been one of the hottest spots to hit for political campaigns from both sides of the aisle as Election Day draws closer.

That trend continued on Friday afternoon, Nov. 1, when Gov. Josh Shapiro and U.S. Sen. Bob Casey stopped by Steamfitters Local 449 in Jackson Township to speak with local union leaders and discuss the importance of infrastructure funding.

“I think there’s a lot of reasons why they did it,” said Kevin Boozel, Butler County commissioner, after the event on why the two prominent state officials pulled up in Butler County. “One of them is our connections. We maintain communications with both offices literally every other week at least. They’ve both been great to work with.”

Both leaders addressed local union leaders from across Western Pennsylvania as part of their closing arguments ahead of Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 5.

The production boom in Butler County includes more than 300 manufacturers and is one of the leading reasons why the county continues to be an asset for the state’s economic health. Those facts are just part of why Butler County’s population rate increase shouldn’t come as much of a surprise.

Boozel claimed that the two state officials understand the constant balancing act that needs to occur between rapid population growth and infrastructure management, most notably referring to roads and bridges.

“(Gov. Josh) Shapiro knows that we are the largest manufacturing county in Pennsylvania,” he said. “He’s interested in investments here, and we talked about how we can continue the growth and attraction of young workers. He has a great affinity for rural areas.

“We have the highest building home permits in the state. That can’t happen without the infrastructure. One can’t happen without the other.”

Meanwhile, Casey also took the opportunity to center his message around his previous record in office.

“I have made sure that Pennsylvania is able to take advantage of opportunities to bring jobs to our communities,” Casey wrote in an opinion article published on Saturday morning by Fox News. “I fought against an administration plan and saved 1,200 jobs for energy workers at Cleveland-Cliffs in Butler.”

Casey is seeking a fourth term in the U.S. Senate, but is locked in a tight race with Republican candidate Dave McCormick, who just held an event at Penn United Technologies on North Pike Road in Jefferson Township on Oct. 22.

“I think that where he (Casey) draws the line is calling out where interests lie and who’s been investing in not just people here in Butler County, but in Pennsylvania and the United States in general,” Boozel said regarding Casey’s criticisms of McCormick during the final stretch of what will be a consequential national race. “He was very disparaging on his opponent for helping across the pond, China specifically, as well as Russia.”

The event marked the second time in the last three weeks that Shapiro made his way to Butler County. On Oct. 19, Shapiro visited Slippery Rock along with Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers as part of a campaign tour for Vice President Kamala Harris.

Press contact Kate Smart of Sen. Bob Casey’s campaign did not reply to a request for comment.