Pennsylvania Republican Voters Hammer Trump On CNN — Raising Questions About Support in Crucial Swing State
While there is a lot of attention to Democrats panicking over President Joe Biden’s reelection chances, some are pointing to the quieter story of swing state voters who are not necessarily supportive of former President Donald Trump.
CNN’s John King traveled to “battleground Pennsylvania” for a segment on suburban voters who voted for Nikki Haley in the Republican primary and considered themselves to be either Republicans or independents (one of them was a former Republican). Now that Haley announced her intention to vote for Trump, her supporters are not ready to follow her back to the ex-president.
First, King spoke to Michael Pesce, who said he became a “Reagan Republican” back in 1980 and voted for Trump in 2016. But in 2020, he voted for Biden, which he said he plans to do in November:
Pesce: If I had my choice, I wouldn’t vote for either. But I will vote for Biden. I will vote for anyone but Trump.
King: Why?
Pesce: Well, so, he tried to overthrow our government. And that’s a problem with me. I served in the U.S. military. I just have very strong feelings about what it means to be an American.
Pesce added: “I want other Republicans out there saying, like, we don’t have to choose this guy. They don’t want to hear that he could be a convicted criminal in a couple of days.”
Next was Irma Fralic, another “Reagan Republican” whom King described as “beyond frustrated with her choices.” She told King: “I want a country that’s normal. I want a country that functions, and I want people to be together.” Referring to Trump’s legal troubles and Biden’s age, Fralic stated:
One’s in court, and the other one is… I feel bad for him. If he was my father, I’d say, you know, you might want to reconsider your life. I don’t know. And the other one, I’d say you might want to prioritize your personal problems.
But Linda Rooney, a registered Republican who voted for Trump (2016), then Biden (2020), and then Haley in this year’s primary. Despite telling King that Trump’s actions on January 6 were “reprehensible” and she “can’t forgive him for that,” the military mom was also deeply disappointed in the chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal under the Biden administration. Rooney said she might “hold [her] nose” and vote for Trump or write in someone else, but had a big question for Republicans:
Who are these people in the Republican Party that are shoving this down our throats right now? Why can’t we be… Why can’t we elect someone normal?
Watch the video above via CNN.
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