this is "nightline." >> tonight, political landscape. we're deep in the heart of a battleground state with students who predicted that upset in 2016. >> this whole class is trump. >> so what do they have to say this time? plus the women who run. with record numbers of women of color vying for a seat in congress, we bring together hopefuls from both sides of the aisle. >> i have to say, if you're a democrat or a republican, i 100% agree with what you just said. >> how they plan to make history. we're all putting things off, especially in these times. but some things are too serious to be ignored. if you still have symptoms of crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis even after trying other medications,

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♪ good evening. thanks so much for join iing us. i'm linsey davis. tonight, election day is exactly two weeks away. donald trump and joe biden making their last push, focusing on winning votes in battleground states with pennsylvania proving to be one of the key states that may decide the 2020 race. so how likely is it to go red or blue? here's abc's trevor ault. >> reporter: president trump has just been impeached. >> america faced the worst

downturn since the great depression. >> hospitalizations on the rise in 42 states. >> reporter: the relentless pace of history-making news the past four years has worn at the fabric of the country. in this rural part of western pennsylvania, it's almost as though time has stood still. >> these colors are crazy. up on the hill. >> reporter: with the help of manufacturing plants, the economy is humming along. in the midst of a pandemic, this county has had an exceedingly low number of covid-19 cases. working-class voters in towns like these helped carry donald trump to victory in 2016. the first time a republican took pennsylvania since 1988. wes crawford was one of those voters. this year he's voting trump again. >> i think trump is embraced not because people have a glorified view of trump as a person, but i

think they were hopeful that president trump would change the status quo in washington. >> do you think we got that shakeup? >> i think we did to some degree. i think a lot of people would have liked to have seen what might have happened with less vitriol and constant fighting. >> reporter: crawford says even here in his small hometown of new bethlehem, they feel that political division. in fact, it's even happening in his own home. 17-year-old daughter abbi is a fan of joe biden. >> how did that happen that you started to develop separate views? >> being on the internet, doing more research, digging into politics more. just getting older, old enough to understand what's going on with the president. i think that kind of change has directed me to think differently. >> i love her dearly. and i am very conservative. for me, it's about principles. and she shares some of those principles. but she doesn't express them the

way i do. >> sometimes you have to agree to disagree, i'm sure? >> often. >> often? >> yeah. >> it's a big house. >> i can have the biden signs in my room, and the fox news downstairs. >> reporter: the dinner table discourse in the crawford home might be a preview of the shifting landscape in this key battleground state. pennsylvania voters with their 20 electoral votes can simply agree to disagree on november 3rd. >> it has one large east coast city on one side, philadelphia. one large midwestern city, pittsburgh, on the other side. the rest of pennsylvania is basically small town and rural areas. >> reporter: the latest polling shows president trump losing ground in pennsylvania, with joe biden, a scranton native, up about 6%. though at this time in 2016, hillary clinton had a nearly identical lead. >> i think this year's election in pennsylvania is slightly different. one, it's an incumbent running for president, donald trump. he's no longer the candidate of change. the other difference is joe biden was born there.

he's much more popular and rated favorably than hillary clinton was. all those give him a slight advantage. >> reporter: you might think the bitter mud slinging could turn off the younger generation, but at least here it seems to have motivated kids to get involved in politics. today, even though abbi isn't old enough to vote for real, she's casting a ball loot for biden, part of a mock presidential election for students at new bethlehem high school. >> this is the fourth time "nightline" has visited this high school. first in 2016. the students nailed it. donald trump won overwhelmingly in a land slide. >> reporter: my colleague, terry moran, made that first trip. >> it's terry moran with abc news. >> reporter: eighth grade civics teacher dr. joe harmon, who champions his students' political opinion without providing his own, has been our guide each time. >> their voice matters. they have a responsibility so use their voice in a responsible

manner, to provide an educated opinion, to try to make a difference. the other thing is to be active members of society. >> how do you feel, as somebody working very carefully to mold these minds as they start to form their political thoughts, about the vitriolic tone that we see both from just political supporters and also from political candidates themselves in modern politics? >> the key there is to show that you can be of differences of opinion, but we've got to have civil discourse. >> what parts of the state do you think -- >> reporter: the most jarring and obvious difference with dr. harmon's class this year is everyone's wearing a mask. something students had mixed feelings about after coronavirus closed their school in the spring. >> i definitely think that if somebody wants to wear a mask, go ahead. i just kind of wish that it wasn't forced on everyone. >> reporter: when it comes time for the ate graders to vote, it was an even split among these four. >> i voted for donald trump. >> i also voted for donald trump. >> joe biden.

>> joe biden. >> i think there's some parts of the country that would think, trump supporters and biden supporters can't get along. >> especially at this age. it is not worth losing a friendship over, over politics, because i think that's dumb. >> how do you feel about donald trump's behavior? >> he could be better about the way he says some things. but i think that overall, like his impact has been pretty positive. >> sometimes there are certain things he says and does that maybe he could somewhat work on. but he has followed through, and i think that he did a very good job as president the last four years. >> the president now, i don't think he's a very good person. and if republicans came up with a better person, i think i'd vote for them. >> we don't have to agree with the actions -- >> reporter: in mr. gold's 12th grade history classroom, we found some familiar faces behind the masks. we first met many of them as eighth graders. and they tell us quite a lot has

changed. >> would we be able to talk? would we be able to say, here's what i believe? why not? >> this whole class is trump. >> do you think if i disagreed with you politically, we could have a friendly conversation about politics? why do you think that changed? >> going from eighth grade to us becoming seniors, we've learned a lot, matured a lot. >> is part of it the fact that you might just be tired of the fighting? >> yes. >> absolutely. >> yes. >> is that a big part of it? >> i remember watching the debate a couple of weeks ago and just constantly thinking, is this really the best we can do? >> what are the big issues for you in this election, matthew? >> i don't think there's mitch leadersh -- much leadership at the federal level rather the pandemic. to hear trump say it's not a big deal that terrifies me, quite frankly.

my dad is immune compromised, so i'm really concerned for his health. >> what do you think people maybe don't understand about what life is like where you guys live? >> for us, guns are a source of fun, they're a hobby. we get days off, we go hunting. those in the inner-city, they view guns as a source of violence, something to be afraid of. >> reporter: when it was their turn to vote, there was a clear winner. >> who did you vote for? >> biden. >> joe biden. >> biden. >> biden. >> trump. >> biden. >> okay. >> reporter: but this group was decidedly an outlier in the school. >> 2020 mock election has been tallied up. >> donald trump with 370 votes. >> followed by joe biden, 56. >> obviously not very close. also not very different from 2016. >> reporter: whether or not these students predict the president, the winner is going to face a daunting task.

uniting a house increasingly divided against itself. >> do you think that the country is capable of working together right now? >> i hope so. if we spend all our time defending ourselves from accusations, when do we get to the problem? just show kindness. give somebody else the grace that their intentions are good too. >> our thanks to trevor. for more information on how you can cast your ballot, check out the how to vote pinch on fivethirtyeight.com. meet some of the women of color running to change congress forever. less oral steroids. taking my treatment at home. nucala is a once-monthly add-on injection for severe eosinophilic asthma. not for sudden breathing problems. allergic reactions can occur. get help right away for swelling of face, mouth, tongue, or trouble breathing. infections that can cause shingles have occurred. don't stop steroids unless told by your doctor. tell your doctor if you have a parasitic infection.

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campaigning to win a seat on capitol hill and determined to diversify congress, a historic number of women of color. here's abc's deborah roberts on their struggles and try uparey m triumphs. >> i'm a granddaughter of sharecrappers. >> hispanic christian conservati conservative. >> a member of the lgbtq community. >> i'm a mom. >> first-generation college student. >> daughter of a veteran. >> air force sergeant. >> i've been serving my community for eight years and i'm ready to do it on capitol hill. >> reporter: with one goal. >> i'm running for congress. >> reporter: as i look at all of you, it is not lost on me that this is pretty remarkable. a record-setting 298 women are running for congress. and 115 of those are women of color. >> we've gathered you all, eight

of you from both sides of the aisle. let me ask first, do any of you bristle at the notion that you're running as women, and women of color? >> it doesn't really bother me. hoping that a lot of young women look up to me and can identify with the fact that i look just like them, and hopefully one day they want to run for political office as well. a lot of us have a lot to be proud of, to be running in these seats. >> it's a badge of honor and pride. when you talk about the number of women running for office, especially women of color, i say, it's about time. >> our country is changing. and for way too long, young women have looked at what a leader is made of. and it doesn't look like them. >> reporter: of the 115 women of color running for congress, 33 are republicans. those we talked to hope to pave the way for others to follow in their footsteps. >> people look at me, they assume, she must be a democrat. why? because of my name? seriously? i call myself a purple republican.

25 years ago, the republican party stood for something. today our platform is different. no problem. i'll take some of my republican principles, some of the democratic principles. what shade of purple are you? >> me as a latina, i just thought that, okay, well, this here, the republican party, stands for the biblical principles that my mother taught me. when i got out to the world, it was interesting that people were like, well, why are you voting republican? you're hispanic. and i was like, well, all i know is, i'm voting for the principles that i was taught. >> reporter: during this contentious election, during this time with president donald trump and so many people seeing him as not open and not tolerant to people of color, has that complicated your campaign or has that somehow propelled you to run? >> when i first walked into my first republican central committee meeting, they looked at me like, what are you doing here? and i was just like, well, i'm coming to the meeting. and they were like, well, we

just have never seen a black woman republican before. and then i said, well, here i am. and they said, well, what are you going to do? how are you going to get these black people to vote and come on our side? and i'm thinking, i've been here two seconds and you guys have been here fort 40 years. what am i going to do? what have you done? immediately the weight was put on me, that i should be recruiting most people. >> most times i'm combatting this narrative the mainstream media is putting out that the republican is racist. president trump is not racist, the republican party is not racist, they welcome me with open arms. >> how do you make that argument when this president has said a number of things that have led a number of people in this country to feel he is at the very least racially intolerant? >> words and actions are two different things. i look at what the president has done, investing in cities that were left neglected by democrats. one of those cities being baltimore, in which i'm running for office. i look at the fact that he's

tackled criminal justice reform. not everybody loves his language. i think he likes to get a rise out of people. look at his actions. >> actions speak louder than words. as a brown woman trying to represent a border town, this administration has attack ed everything that i stand for. we have a president that has enacted a muslim ban. he's attacked our trans community. but the fact of the matter is that we do have an administration right now attacking communities of color. >> in many cases, having my sisters here showing up in a party that i do not support is progress. we are not a monolith. women aren't money lites. people of color are not a money lit. i think for us, this is also a conversation about what the parties are doing to meet the needs of our communities. >> reporter: how do women lead and legislate differently? do you think women are better suited to try to look past some of this partisanship? >> like aoc and maybe some women on this panel, i am for er-t usy

hear from a republican. it's not something you hear often in congress at all. sometimes it is because there are so many males that sit in those seats. >> reporter: you said like aoc, so you're really reaching across the aisle. >> i'm hoping to get in congress and work with her on that almost immediately. >> reporter: this forum is the first time i've had a chance to interact with other women of color around the country who i may be serving with. >> the fact that we've gotten to know each other like this, off the campaign trail, gives me hope that maybe if we get elected together, we can find ways to work together. >> there's a level of persistence that we bring that this fight of justice, of inclusion, of equity, it's going to take some time. and i think that's the value that we bring to being elected. >> reporter: do women have to deal with this whole likeability factor when you're running for office? i see all of you nodding your head. >> i just think that there's

higher expectations on women what we're supposed to be wearing in public, how we speak. >> i have to say, you're a democrat, i'm a republican. i 100% agree with what you just said. i think there is -- >> absolutely. >> we found some common ground. >> absolutely. yes. i have a 4-year-old daughter. i get asked all the time, this event's at 8:00 p.m. what are you going to do with your daughter? we have to go above and beyond the normal standard for a male candidate. >> reporter: ruth bader ginsburg famously said, there will be enough female justices on the supreme court when there are nine. so when will there be enough members of congress who are women of color? >> i tell you what i think there will be enough when we stop saying "the first." i'm dying to get there so i can do this, hold the door open, so other people can run through it and i'm not the first anymore. >> it's sad, in 2020, that we have to say "the first" for anything, like it's a badge of honor. no, it's pretty shameful.

>> reporter: on the heels of a wildly unpredictable year, no one knows how this election day will turn out. whether or not you see these faces on capitol hill, all are committed to bringing the american dream within reach of their communities. >> right now, there are people with graduate degrees who can't climb their way to the middle class. people are struggling. when i talk to people in the inner city, when i talk to people in the rural parts of my district, the conversation is the same. people need help. >> it's our job to be able to work across the aisle. ask with our sisters that are here. and say, okay, there's some things that we absolutely agree on. >> we have to be strong together as a nation. >> reporter: i have to say, it has been encouraging, hearing you all talk, hearing you reach across the miles right now to each other, certainly across the aisles as you're sharing your thoughts and ideas. good luck to all of you. >> our thanks to deborah roberts. and there's much more to this

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♪ on "nightline" tomorrow, an abc news exclusive. one of the officers who carried out the search warrant on breonna taylor's apartment breaking his silence. and that's "nightline" for this evening. you can join me every weeknight on "abc news live." thanks so much for watching. i'm linsey davis. have a good night. when was the last time your property tax bill went down? what? never. are you kidding me? for years, the residential burden has gone up. while the corporate burden has gone down. prop 15 reverses that. it closes corporate loopholes and invests in schools, small business, and firefighters. and when the big corporations pay more, your tax bill goes down. that's right. a savings of a hundred twenty-one dollars a year