McKEES ROCKS, Pennsylvania — At the freshly renovated Roxian Theater along Chartiers Avenue in a struggling river town, Loren Stephenson said she and her fiance, Alex Ames, had been standing at the front of the line since 8 a.m. to hear billionaire Elon Musk speak at 2 p.m.

Stephenson, a professor at Duquesne University, said she came to see Musk speak because she respects his brilliance as an entrepreneur and innovator.