It's too early to know which candidate will succeed, but in interviews, at least some voters in Genesee County say they're approaching this election differently from the last one.
Ali Lapetina / for NBC NewsRICHFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. — Barb Proffer was once a reliable vote for Democrats here in Michigan's Genesee County. So was Wykisha Bullock.
As early voting ramps up in this crucial swing state, these are the voters former Vice President Joe Biden needs to win back."He needs to reach out to those voters who did not turn out in 2016, who were perhaps disengaged or turned off by Hillary Clinton, and move them over to his Democratic ticket," said Terri Towner, a political science professor at Oakland University near Detroit.
Voter turnout was low in Flint, a majority-Black, majority-Democratic city where voters like Bullock said they weren't inspired by Clinton. That precinct — where voters mark ballots at the local firehouse — went for Obama in 2012 and then Trump in 2016, casting 950 votes for him and 701 for Clinton. David Martin, the Republican county commissioner who is running against Kennedy for state representative, said many voters he meets want to know whether he supports the president like they do.
But as she and her adult son pulled into the parking lot of Richfield Township Hall in search of absentee ballots last week, she said she now views Democrats as"corrupt" and plans to vote only for Republicans from now on.Other Trump supporters are making a different choice this year."I thought he was a very good businessman and would stand up for what was right," she said.
McKarnen thinks the increase in Trump signs this year doesn't necessarily mean that Trump has more support — just that his backers are now more open. "After we done got our behinds sorely kicked by the president, they say they're voting for anybody but him," she said. Bryant Nolden, a Democratic county commissioner who runs the historic Berston Field House recreation center in Flint, said he's hearing a lot more enthusiasm about voting from people in the community than he did four years ago.
"Sometimes they trick up the vote," said Bullock, who works two jobs as a home health care aide."They can say a lot of things, but we don't know what's going to happen.""I don't think he's really fit for running the country," she said."Sometimes he doesn't know what he's saying.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
The hunt for Michigan's lost Democrats: Can Biden lure them back?Donald Trump won Michigan in 2016 with help from Democratic voters who backed him or didn&39;t vote. Joe Biden will need their support to carry the state.
Read more »
In campaign's final stretch, Democrats claw their way back in PennsylvaniaAfter Donald Trump shocked Keystone State Democrats in 2016, the Biden campaign is trying to reach every county, big and small, to flip the result back.
Read more »
Amid jostling for Biden energy roles, New Mexicans stake claim on InteriorA trio of New Mexican lawmakers are jostling for a shot at the Interior secretary job if Joe Biden wins next month's election
Read more »
Biden's first step on taxes may be cracking down on cheats, Democrats sayJoe Biden will reverse Republican tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations on 'day one' if he wins November's election, his Democratic running mate, Senator Kamala Harris, vowed during Wednesday night's vice-presidential debate.
Read more »
Joe Biden under pressure from Democrats to publicly embrace Supreme Court packing planDemocratic progressives have increasingly voiced support for the idea, but Biden said he opposed it as recently as 2019.
Read more »
The Latest: 2nd presidential debate is officially canceledBREAKING: The second presidential debate between President Trump and Joe Biden is officially off. With Trump's COVID-19 infection, the nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates said the candidates should not be on stage together.
Read more »