In the election campaign that Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Joe Biden will almost inevitably fight for the White House in the United States this November, places like the town of The Plains in Fauquier County in Virginia are at the forefront. Hinge constituencies in Hinge states. They are the places where the crucial votes take place that will influence the final result in one direction or another. And today only one thing is clear: Although they won clearly on this Super Tuesday, none of the candidates can completely convince.
“People aren't very motivated … every candidate has their flaws,” admitted Susan, a Republican volunteer handing out fliers at the entrance to Coleman Elementary School in a rural area outside The Plains, where locals line the road for offers of horse feed and promote agritourism. The influx is “lower this time than four years ago,” said the pensioner.
The special system of American presidential elections means that in most states the winner receives all of the voters' votes, regardless of his margin of victory, whether by a single vote or by an overwhelming majority. This means that although in theory all voices are equal, in practice some are more equal than others. Voting Republican in a state with a large Democratic majority like California or voting Democratic in a Republican state like Texas is a laudable Democratic gesture, but it does nothing to tip the scales. Only a handful of states are competitive, with very narrow majorities. In them – in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Georgia, Nevada, Arizona… – every vote counts. And the parties are fighting for every vote.
Virginia is one of those states. Traditionally a Republican bastion, it has tilted toward the Democratic side of presidential elections over the past two decades, supporting it in every presidential election since 2008. Broadly speaking, it is an urbanized north, home to the federal government and defense industries. Like some of its major economic engines, it chooses blue (the Democratic color); The rural South maintains its conservative positions. And the line where both realities confront runs through Fauquier, a lifelong Republican county but where that party's margin of victory was narrowed in the last presidential election. There were only a few voters at their polling stations on this Super Tuesday.
Among those willing to give their vote, supporters of Biden and his predecessor were almost evenly split. Few expressed enthusiasm for his election: an echo of polls that show 70% of Americans would prefer the election not to involve Biden and Trump again this November. Some admitted that after voting for the Republicans in 2016, they voted for the Democrats in 2020 and were now going back to the Trumpists. Someone else admitted that after voting red for years, he was now “blue to death.”
“I voted for Trump and I will do it again in November,” said Sheila, another retired woman, after leaving the polling station. “When he was president, he did what he promised: close the border and make energy prices reasonable. “I don't like shopping anymore, every time I go the prices have gone up.” But he also admitted that although his candidate “loves this country and us,” he doesn't have “the best personality in the world.” .
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Giselle Mancioni, a former real estate agent, also leaned toward the former president. “He's the strongest candidate in the race,” he said, expressing hope that he will solve what he sees as America's biggest problem: the progress of the economy – a common complaint among Republican supporters, despite economic growth of 3.2 % an unemployment rate of 3.5% – and crime. But his enthusiasm ended there. Almost immediately, and in light of the 91 indictments in four trials that Trump is facing, he conceded: “Frankly, I would prefer the Republican nominee to be someone else, but at this point he's the clear winner, so.” I won't change my mind.” Mind.”
In contrast, Democratic voters in Fauquier County pointed to a very different set of priorities for November. This bloc pointed to the need to defend the democratic system and freedoms as the main motivation for supporting Biden.
“Democracy is in danger. And if we, the people, fail to get them out of this hole, this country will no longer be the people's land. It will not be the same country and world that we live in. I fear that if the other candidate wins there will never be another election. Not like this, open. I fear he will make this country his playground,” said Gail Rainbow. “That’s why Biden is my candidate,” said this former Republican voter, who is still registered as such on the voter rolls. But while voicing his support, he acknowledged that the president's age and his public misdeeds were “a cause for concern.”
Another Biden voter, who declined to be named, also wasn't particularly enthusiastic about her choice, limiting herself to saying in her favor that “I like your government.” “I'm voting for him mainly because I like him dislikes Republican candidates. I come from a lifelong Republican family, I've always voted Republican…but now I can't vote Republican anymore. “The Republican Party left me out.”
Among those who came to the school to cast their votes, one name was conspicuous by its absence: that of Nikky Haley, the former governor of South Carolina and Trump's only rival still in the race, who suffered another defeat this Super Tuesday only win in the state of Vermont. Only one person, a woman running to her vehicle, admitted to writing her name on the ballot: “In November I will vote for Biden. But today I did it for Haley.” Because? “Because I wanted to poke Trump in the eye.”
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