Looks like PA was the tipping point state

[hopper]

Could PA be in play at some point in the not too distant future? Looking at some of the #s it was leaning left by around 5 points 8 years ago (Kerry won it by 2.5 points but lost the election by 2.46). This time around it's only leaning left by around 2 points and the GOP has made some huge gains in the western part of the state, bordering WV and OH. Places like Greene, Fayette, Washington and Westmoreland County have shifted to the GOP by 20-28 points over the last 12 years. Are these places too small to make much of a dent or could the GOP in PA replicate some of the success it's been having in neighboring WV?

No. Republicans will continue to convince themselves that they can make a legitimate play for Pennsylvania, but they have no shot.

Demographics of Philadelphia:
1.53 mil people (1.526 as of 2010 census)
44.2% Black (they went democratic 96-4, country-wide exit poll)
12.5% Hispanic (they went democratic 71-27, country-wide exit poll)
5.4% Asian (they went democratic 74-26, country-wide exit poll)

Check out my post from a week ago or so:
link

Quick TL;DR summary of the post:
In 2008, Philadelphia ALONE covered the vote margin in all Republican-won counties, and then some (477.7k to 317.9k)
In 2012, Philadelphia missed the margin of all Republican-won counties by 10k (467.2k to 477.k), but of course there were enough Democratic counties to cover that 10k margin (Allegheny provided an 88.9k margin).

The state is becoming increasingly dependent on the margins in Philadelphia. The whole area around Philadelphia continuously increases its % total of the statewide vote.
1992 - 33.07%
1996 - 32.13%
2000 - 32.42%
2004 - 33.08%
2008 - 33.69%
2012 - 34.21%

And these five counties are becoming more democratic. The individual county results are not representative of this trend (e.g. Philadelphia went 88.4% DEM in 2008, 82% in 2012), but the overall sum of the five counties is:
% DEM Vote
1992 - 51.22%
1996 - 58.07%
2000 - 61.34%
2004 - 62.87%
2008 - 66.36%
2012 - 65.21%

It is pretty difficult for Republicans to make up the vote margins in the rest of the state when 33% of the state votes 66% democratic (and this is not including the democratic bastions of Allegheny, Luzerne, Erie...there are several other Democratic counties, but these three go Dem+10 or more and have 100,000 votes...Allegheny has 600,000+ votes and goes DEM+15).

(Keep in mind that I am only referring to GENERAL PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS...off-years give Democrats problems in PA).

Sure, you could argue that Christie might affect the vote in PA a bit should he be the GOP nominee in 2016, but I would argue that he wouldn't alter it all that much. For one, PA isn't NJ, and when I was living in PA he was not even on the radar of most Pennsylvanians (I'm sure most people aren't even aware of who he is). Sure, his publicity skyrocketed in the last month, but PA has its own Republican governor to worry about and he is a POS.

Christie could put PA into play and make it a battleground state like CO is now.