Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Florida. Mark Wallheiser/Getty Images Pennsylvania Democratic Senate nominee Katie McGinty takes issue with Donald Trump's recent description of her state's capital as a "war zone."

In an interview with Business Insider on Wednesday, McGinty characterized Trump's comments about Harrisburg as reductive, saying his criticisms would not help him win over voters in Rust Belt states the Republican presidential nominee says he'll win handily.

"Donald Trump is ultimately going to fail to fool people who he is trying to fool," McGinty said when asked about Trump's comments.

"He's out of touch with both the struggle as well as the successes of a place like Pennsylvania," added McGinty, who is taking on Republican Sen. Pat Toomey in November's election. "In terms of successes, we're extremely proud to have some of the best colleges and universities not only in the country, but in the world."

McGinty also said Trump's restrictive trade policy and pro-manufacturing posturing was hypocritical, considering that he produced some of his own consumer products overseas.

"He's got a lot of bluster and rhetoric, but his record demonstrates he doesn't have a clue beyond that," she said. "Anybody who makes his shirts in China and his ties in Bangladesh has nothing real and genuine to offer. The working families who are looking for a shot at a good-paying family — they need jobs. And Donald doesn't have a clue about that."

Trump's original comments about Harrisburg sparked immediate backlash among Pennsylvania officials.

In a statement earlier this week, Harrisburg's director of communications, Joyce Davis, knocked Trump for "disparaging" the city.

"Mr. Trump has made an unfortunate mistake in disparaging Pennsylvania's capital city after a mere glance from the window of his airplane," Davis said. "Harrisburg is renowned as the heart of our commonwealth and a capital of unique beauty and charm. Mr. Trump should know that Harrisburg and its residents are an integral part of the United States, which he is vying to lead."

McGinty is one of several down-ballot Democratic candidates locked in tough races with Republican incumbents across the country. The Democratic Senate candidate has repeatedly attempted to tie Trump to Toomey, who has not endorsed Trump and has attempted to run as a moderate on issues like gun control.

Recent polls show the race virtually tied, with some recent surveys conducted after the Democratic National Convention giving McGinty a slight lead over Toomey.

"The campaign season hasn't even really started, and Pennsylvania is already saying, loudly and clearly, that the Trump-Toomey ticket is completely unacceptable," McGinty's communications director, Sean Coit, said in a statement on Thursday.

"It probably doesn't help that Donald Trump, just in the last week, said that Pennsylvania is 'rusting and rotting' and that Harrisburg looks like a 'war zone,'" he added. "That's the guy Pat Toomey wants to be our president, so his poll numbers are just going to get worse."

Ted Kwong, communications director for Toomey, fired back in a statement provided to Business Insider.

Kwong said that "Trump is wrong about Harrisburg," but "even worse, McGinty was wrong when she called Pennsylvanians who live outside of Philadelphia 'misinformed.'”

"In the wake of Katie McGinty's disastrous and profane debut at the DNC, Pennsylvania voters will continue to learn about her extreme liberal positions, like supporting the reckless Iran nuclear deal that sent $150 billion to the world's leading state-sponsor of terrorism," he added. "In contrast, Pat Toomey is the only candidate in this race with a record of bipartisan achievements and endorsements."