Larry Malinconico was disturbed by President Joe Biden’s performance in the debate when he went to bed. When he woke up, he felt compelled to take action.
In Northampton County, Pennsylvania, a bellwether region in one of the country’s most competitive presidential battlegrounds, Malinconico teaches geology at a college and is an independent.
Malinconico declared immediately following Thursday night’s CNN debate, “I’m extremely concerned.” “President Biden gave a bad performance and had a weak voice. He stammered and found it hard to complete his responses on time.
He concluded his debate night analysis with this statement: “Despite my serious concerns about Biden’s capabilities, I will still vote against Trump,” demonstrating his inability to accept the alternative.
“After sleeping on the debate overnight… now I’m much more in favor of supporting moves to have President Biden drop out or for an open (brokered perhaps) convention,” Malinconico said in an early Friday afternoon email.
It was one of many voter responses sharply critical of the president’s performance in the debate, and it was one of many indicating that the debate hurt the incumbent’s standing with voters who were crucial to his chances of winning reelection, at least temporarily.
Another citizen of Northampton County is Pat Levin. When we initially met a few months ago, the 94-year-old assured us she didn’t worry about Biden’s age. Although she still intends to support Biden, her response was also very instructive.
Levin complimented California Governor Gavin Newsom and Vice President Kamala Harris for their post-debate interviews. However, there was “nothing good to say” about Biden or the CNN Presidential Debate’s overall content.
In a text message, Levin told CNN that Biden “whispered, spoke haltingly, and appeared exceedingly vulnerable.” “The night was depressing for American politics.”
A similar opinion was expressed by Michael Pesce, a self-described Reagan Republican who claims he cannot back Trump.
“It was a horror show last night,” Pesce remarked on Friday. “Biden didn’t look at all presidential; he appeared aging and faltering. Trump was irrationally irrational, blustery, and incapable of speaking the truth.
Pesce told us in May that he believes Trump is unsuitable to be president, thus he would grudgingly support Biden. His reaction the morning after the debate was telling and problematic for Biden once more.
According to Pesce, “the Democrats need to have an open convention and unite behind a much younger candidate.”
Like Northampton, Pesce, 60, lives in the suburbs of Philadelphia in Bucks County and is a battleground within a war.
As part of a CNN initiative, Malinconico, Levin, and Pesce are following the 2024 campaign via the perspectives and experiences of voters who reside in the battleground areas and belong to significant voting blocs.
So far, 60 voters from 10 states have taken part, and they are all very different from one another. However, both Democrats and Republicans agreed unanimously following the debate that Biden’s performance was concerning.
African American and seasoned Democratic activist in Milwaukee, Davette Baker, expressed her fear that Trump will win if Biden remains on the ticket.
Although many of our voters, including Republicans, harshly criticized the former president, even though ardent Trump fans were pleased with his performance.
Matt Vrahiotes, a Christian conservative who runs a small winery in Hall County, Georgia, said of Donald Trump, “Same old Donald, talked about himself.” “Stoked his pride.”
Nevertheless, Trump “seems to be more cognitive and mentally sharper,” according to Vrahiotes. Vrahiotes expressed his willingness to explore a third party alternative during our initial meeting, and his post-debate remarks demonstrated his ongoing disillusionment with the main party options.
He questioned whether Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an independent candidate who did not fit the CNN debate requirements, should be allowed to take the stage.
Our voters have revealed four key insights:
Those who were already dissatisfied with their selections left the discussion feeling even less optimistic about a Biden-Trump rematch.
“It bothers me that Trump disparages America,” stated veteran Antonio Munoz, who runs a catering company and restaurant in Las Vegas. “I’m not driven to cast a ballot. Biden didn’t close well.
–– Biden’s performance surprised younger voters who support him on many topics but don’t feel much in common with him due to his age.
Christine Ngyuen, 29, a former nurse who recently launched a Boba tea restaurant in the Decatur, Georgia, suburb of Atlanta, said, “I was genuinely shocked.”
“Our two candidates are far too old to be doing what they are doing,” stated Summer Matkin, a suburban Detroit resident and Wayne State University student.
— Committed Democrats who want to vote for Biden regardless of his performance nevertheless voiced annoyance because the debate confirmed their worries Trump could win the election.
Anushka Jalistagi, a recent University of Michigan graduate and former co-president of the school College Democrats, stated, “It felt like he let Trump drive a dangerously false narrative and could do nothing more than say, Oh, that’s a lie.”
Trump’s debate performance was well received by his followers, but our research did not find any proof that he garnered any more support.
“Depressing. We don’t have the most deft candidates to choose from,” stated Kim Cavaliere, a suburban Atlanta nurse who is dissatisfied with her selections and indecisive. “I’m sure other nations are making fun of us. I was.
Detroit-area Palestinian-American law student Ibrahim Ghazal is upset with Biden over the Hamas-Israel dispute and is considering not supporting him again. Nonetheless, his opinion of Trump was negative both before and after the debate.
Friday, Ghazal texted, “Trump had a much better stage presence than Biden.” “I found it most troubling that Trump used the term ‘Palestinian’ as a derogatory term.”
In a discussion regarding the Israel-Hamas war, Trump said this: “You should let them go and let them finish the job.” He is unwilling to perform it. He’s started to resemble a Palestinian. However, the reason they dislike him is that he is a terrible Palestinian. He is not strong.
Republican registered voter Linda Rooney, who lives not far from Philadelphia, supported Biden in 2020 but declared she would “hold my nose” and support Trump this year or write in a conservative. With eighteen weeks remaining in the race, Trump’s debate performance failed not secure Rooney’s endorsement.
“It was a disaster for Biden in last night’s debate, but what worries me more is that the Republicans also don’t think they have a strong candidate,” she remarked. How did my party get to the situation where our opponent’s weakness and illness are our only chance to win the president again? Republicans ought not to celebrate their triumph.
