In the last eight years, Georgia has undergone significant political shifts. In the 2016 presidential election, Donald Trump emerged victorious, securing Georgia’s electoral votes. However, Joe Biden managed to defeat Trump in the 2020 presidential election, marking a significant shift in Georgia’s political landscape. Moreover, two U.S. Senate seats that were once held by Republicans are now in the hands of Democrats. Despite these changes, Brian Kemp, a Republican, won the gubernatorial race against Stacey Abrams, a Democrat, not once, but twice.
The level of volatility in Georgia was quite high. Upon the passage of a comprehensive election reform by the state legislature, President Biden repeatedly referred to it as “Jim Crow 2.0.” In response, the Major League Baseball organization decided to withdraw the All-Star Game from the state.
Georgia, like Pennsylvania, has become the ultimate swing state. The state provided the perfect backdrop for Thursday’s debate between President Trump and former Vice President Biden. This historic event marked the first time in modern history that a former president and an incumbent president debated each other on national television.
According to a recent poll conducted by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution-University of Georgia, President Trump was leading with 43% of likely Georgia voters, while Joe Biden trailed with 38%. 9% of the voters said they would vote for independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Although he hasn’t qualified to appear on the Georgia ballot yet, experts predict that he will. As we head into tonight’s debate, these poll numbers suggest an interesting race in Georgia.
According to Jeff Brauer, a political science professor at Keystone College, debates are often overrated in their significance. He believes that the majority of individuals who follow debates have already formed their opinions and are simply supporting their preferred candidate.
According to him, the ongoing debate is quite exceptional as it is taking place several months earlier than usual and involves mainly incumbents, which is a rare occurrence in recent times.
According to Brauer, the stakes were higher for Biden on that particular night as he had to convince the coalition that helped him win the 2020 election to support him once again. Unfortunately, this coalition had been gradually slipping away. Brauer noted that unlike Biden’s supporters, who required more convincing, Trump’s supporters remained loyal to him, even through felony convictions and regardless of his words or actions.
Thursday night’s debate centered around which candidate could build a coalition that extends beyond their base by demonstrating their abilities. The question at hand was which candidate could capture the votes of the “double haters,” those who have previously voted for both candidates but have been dissatisfied with them for varying reasons.
Leland Sproul, a resident of suburban Atlanta, is a customer-training manager for a Fortune 500 company and falls under the category of swing voters. In the 2016 presidential elections, he voted for Trump but later switched sides and voted for Biden in 2020. However, both candidates left him frustrated, and he decided to abstain from voting for any of the US Senate candidates, be it Republican or Democrat, in the same year.
Although, he did cast his vote in favor of Kemp.
Sproul initially expressed his reluctance to watch the debate owing to the frustration caused by both parties. However, he eventually decided to subject himself to it at the eleventh hour and referred to it as a form of “torture.”
Joe Cobb, a training manager for a Fortune 500 company and a resident of Athens, expressed his regret for his vote to elect Donald Trump as the President of the United States. He stated that while he voted for Trump with a smile the first time, he felt ashamed the second time around.
As he entered the debate, he braced himself for the worst from Trump. However, as the event unfolded, it was Biden who ended up disappointing him the most with his words.
Cobb expressed his surprise at the onset of the debate when Biden raised the topic of Afghanistan. He was equally taken aback by Trump’s demeanor, mostly impressed with his subtle poke at Biden’s lack of coherence when he stated his inability to comprehend what Biden was saying.
In his summary after the debate, Cobb expressed his opinion that Biden is a decent person. However, he firmly stated that Biden’s performance during Thursday night’s debate has left him with no other option but to refrain from voting for him. “I cannot vote for him after this debate,” Cobb declared straightforwardly.
Cobb stated that Trump’s choice for vice president would play a crucial role in determining whether he will cast his vote for the candidate or abstain from the election.
According to Jim Southard, an entrepreneur from suburban Atlanta, he voted for Trump twice and was pleased with his policies. However, going into this election cycle, he was dissatisfied with his options. Despite this, he remains a conservative and is confident in his ability to make a living, regardless of who is in office.
From the get-go, he was taken aback by Biden’s incoherent rambles during the initial moments of the debate – and it continued throughout.
“He didn’t meet my expectations, especially after his impressive State of the Union address. To me, he appeared quite old and frail,” expressed Southard. Despite acknowledging the fairness of the debate questions, he found it excruciating to watch Biden perform poorly. According to Southard, “Biden failed miserably.”
According to Southard, Trump should strive to appeal to a broader audience and he expressed disbelief when he stated, “I cannot believe I am saying this, but I will be voting for Trump. However, if the current leadership of both parties is the best that America has to offer, it is truly disheartening.”
It appears that Sproul has not yet made a decision on who to vote for.
According to Brauer, Biden typically excels at rising to the occasion, but tonight seems to be struggling with nerves. Brauer notes that his voice is hoarse and he is speaking quickly, almost rushing through his words. In addition, Brauer observes that Biden is giving off strange looks when Trump speaks.
Brauer pointed out that Trump exhibits remarkable discipline in both his behavior and messaging. During debates, he remains calm, listens attentively, refrains from interrupting, and delivers confident responses. His performance is in stark contrast to his past debate performances and defies the expectations of many pundits.
According to Brauer, apart from the unforeseen turns of events, he found the conversation between two former presidents with real experience in governance particularly captivating.
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According to Brauer, the emphasis should be on the future possibilities and plans rather than dwelling on past records. He believes that the main purpose of elections is to determine how the lives of voters will improve under a new president.
According to Brauer, Biden had the opportunity to showcase his accomplishments and lay out his plans for a second term as the current incumbent. However, he spent a significant amount of time fact-checking Trump, addressing his accusations, and resorting to name-calling instead.
