For his first visit to Pennsylvania as the Republican nominee for president Donald Trump chose Northeast Pennsylvania.

The energy of Trump’s campaign was evident in the crowd, and from talking to the supporters who were from a wide swath of Pennsylvania and New Jersey.Plenty of local Republican officials were seen in the audience and on the stage showing their excitement about Trump’s campaign.Commissioners from both Carbon and Schuylkill counties were in attendance, as well as state Rep. Doyle Heffley.Carbon County Commissioner Thomas J. Gerhard said he’s seeing support build for Trump’s campaign.“When you look at the change in voter registration from D to R, not only in Carbon County, but across the nation, I think that speaks volumes about the way people are thinking right now,” said Gerhard.Schuylkill County Commissioner George Halcovage said he’s seen local Republicans uniting around Trump. He pointed to Trump’s family as a sign that he has the character to lead the country.“It’s exciting. He’s concerned about our safety. He’s genuine. He’s real. I talked to Eric Trump and I believe that you can gauge a man on how he treats his family, and you can tell his children love their dad,” he said.Of course Congressmen Lou Barletta and Tom Marino sat atop of the list of local officials — not only warming up the crowd, but getting recognized by Trump in his speech. Barletta and Marino, whose districts cover much of Northeast Pennsylvania, pointed out they were some of the first in Washington to support Trump.Barletta said that Trump’s appearance would add to the history of the gymnasium where he spoke at Lackawanna College.“I heard that Frank Sinatra sang here, Billy Joel sang here, Larry Holmes won his first two fights here. And now the future president of the United States is going to speak here,” Barletta said.He praised Trump for his stance on illegal immigration and recalled the criticism that he faced when he took on illegal immigration as mayor of Hazleton. As mayor, Barletta created an ordinance — which was eventually struck down in federal court — that would penalize those who did business with illegal immigrants.“That’s why I started backing Donald Trump, because he had the courage to say what a lot of Americans have been saying for a long time: Illegal immigration is bad for America.Marino, a former U.S. attorney, told the crowd that Trump is a “law enforcement guy.” He said that Trump supports the Blue Lives Matter movement and would work to give law enforcement the tools they need.He also said that Trump would balance trade with countries like China and Mexico, and work to resurrect the steel industry in Pennsylvania. That would start, he said, with the support of coal as a resource, something he said Clinton would oppose.“The United States is finished with coming out on the short end of the stick on trade,” he said.Rob Gleason, chairman of the Pennsylvania Republican Party, said the Democratic convention, which he referred to as Clinton’s coronation, has been a mess. He said by contrast, the energy behind the Trump campaign is unlike anything he’s seen in decades as a Republican.“Are you ready to turn Pennsylvania red?” he said. “Donald Trump picked Lackawanna County as the first county in Pennsylvania to come to after the convention because he wants to win Lackawanna County.”