Two Voters Weigh In On The First Democratic Debates

We spoke with a senior at the University of Michigan and the vice president of Alabama Young Democrats about their takeaways.

By Across America producer Amanda Williams

Paige Horace | Kate Nachazel

There’s nothing like a raucous debate to make it feel like election season.

The first Democratic debates were this week, held over two nights because the pool of candidates is that large. Ten candidates vying for the Democratic presidential nomination took the stage in Miami to talk about a lot of topics — and quickly. (No, really — they had 60 seconds to answer and 30 seconds for any follows-up.)

We’ve heard from a lot of people about a host of topics as part of our Across America project. It’s a collaboration with six public radio member stations across the country to bolster our coverage of different communities and what they’re thinking about this election cycle.

Across America producer Amanda Williams spoke with two voters about their takeaways from the debates. Their answers have been edited for conciseness.

Paige Horace, 30

Vice president of Alabama Young Democrats. Lives in Birmingham, Alabama.

How would you describe yourself as a voter?

I’m pretty much a Democratic voter; that’s just where my heart lies. My mom is an Independent and my dad is a Republican, so I was allowed to form my own opinions.

Horace voted for Hilary Clinton in 2016.

Where did you watch the debates?

We [the Alabama Young Democrats] hosted debate parties each night.

The second night, a lot more people were engaged. We had a lot of Bernie fans, and Swalwell and Harris and some Biden. There was a lot of different cheering going on. People were cheering when their person was saying something or rebutting someone else.

Down here, you know, of course everyone is about their guns but we understand — the younger generations especially because we were kids when Columbine happened — so we grew up in this era when you go to school and you have look over your shoulder and be aware of school shooting possibilities. And that’s something our parents didn’t have to deal with. So we hear what Swalwell is saying.

On both nights, the crowd clapped when women’s issues came up.

What were your big takeaways from both nights?

I feel the candidates don’t have enough time. The first night was a bit better. I felt they had more time to speak. Last night felt like the Hunger Games. It was more overwhelming and intense than the first night.

Kamala Harris did step up to the plate [on Thursday night] and distinguished herself.

During one of the most heated moments of the second debate, Sen. Kamala Harris confronted Vice President Biden over his recent comments about working with segregationists.

You could have heard a pin drop in our crowd. We’re in Alabama, especially here in Birmingham we’re in the middle of the civil rights fight. Once she made her statement, everyone in the room clapped for that. We could relate due to Alabama’s history with racial tension.

Paige said the crowd at the watch party was mostly white, with some African-Americans and Latinos, but was 50–50 male to female ratio.

What are your top three issues?

Education is number one, women’s rights two, prison reform is number three.

What didn’t you hear during the debates that you think should have been discussed, or that you heard but should have been better addressed?

I wish they would have spoken more about criminal justice reform — especially with that second group, but they didn’t.

Before the debates, you told me you were most interested in Sen. Kamala Harris. After the first night, you said Sen. Elizabeth Warren impressed you most, right? Where is your thinking now?

Still definitely Kamala. I’m set on her for right now. Still Warren. Bernie kind of threw me for a loop; I expected more from him. He’s just stayed consistent.

Julián Castro did make some good points the first night, so he’s making his way into my top five right now.

What do the candidates need to do to woo your vote?

One thing I like to do: When candidates come to town, I show up at some kind of event. They need to have more events where people… I know they need the money, but they need to have more events that don’t cost $500. People who can’t afford to pay have votes that matter, too.

Hearing directly from candidates is the best way I get my information about them. It’s unbiased and I’m able to ask my own questions. It’s not filtered through media. It does make them more personable and you do get to see if they’re genuine.

Kate Nachazel, 20

Senior at the University of Michigan. Lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

How would you describe yourself as a voter?

I would describe myself as a moderate Republican. I was a former vice chair of the College Republicans here at the University of Michigan. But with everything I’ve seen with Trump since 2016, I’ve been really disappointed in his lack of basic morals and integrity, so I’m definitely considering voting Democrat in 2020.

Nachazel voted for Donald Trump in 2016.

Where did you watch the debates?

I was with friends both times.

What were your big takeaways from both nights?

I thought the second was much more interesting because we had more top-polling people — we had four of the top five — so it definitely felt like the first night Warren was the only one to look at. I think that she showed that she dominated, but in the second, things got much more heated and it was much more interesting to watch, particularly Pete. He stood out to me. I was concerned because he’s only a mayor, without the same political experience as some of the others on stage, but I thought he was well-spoken. I particularly like that he took responsibility when asked about the police shooting in South Bend.

He showed vulnerability — to admit he made a mistake on that stage and not defend himself was refreshing.

Kamala stood out as a good debater, but I don’t like her as a candidate; she’s too radical. Biden, I thought was crumbling and hid behind Obama’s accomplishments too much. He didn’t know how to respond when Kamala Harris went after him. I don’t know how much it will actually hurt him, though; we’ll see after this weekend if it blows over.

Bernie, I thought was non-existent. We got what we expected from him and nothing more. He didn’t stand out as the one who was leading in any way.

When Swalwell talked about passing the torch — and Biden and Bernie talked about holding onto the torch — I thought that was interesting because if the Democrats want to attract young voters, they do need to have these up-and-comers.

What are your top three issues?

The fact that a lot of [the Democrat candidates] have come out and said they want to get rid of private insurance, I think that’s a big [problematic] issue for me. If the overall nominee was a candidate that supported that, it would sway me a lot.

Another is climate change. I thought Pete had a really good answer when he was talking about how middle America is often left out of the conversation on climate change, but that we can also do something about it. Here in Michigan, we have a lot of natural resources, too, and it was nice to feel acknowledged and part of the conversation. It’s not just happening on the coasts.

Having a moral leader would be my third.

What didn’t you hear during the debates that you think should have been discussed, or that you heard but should have been better addressed?

Free trade. There were a lot of things that were super under-addressed because there were so many people on stage. I hope they go deeper on issues in future debates.

Before the debates, you told me you were most interested in Mayor Pete. After the first night, you said Klobuchar impressed you most. Where is your thinking now?

Still with Pete for sure. I thought he did an excellent job [on Thursday night] and I really appreciated all of his answers. He looked very presidential and unifying. I feel represented by him in a way that I don’t by the other candidates. I would also vote for Klobuchar if she was the nominee.

What do the candidates need to do to get your vote?

It depends. If it’s Trump, he needs to stop tweeting crazy things and become a more moral person, but he’s shown his whole life that he’s not, so he’s not likely to change.

I want to feel represented by the candidate. If it were a Democrat, they’d have to be more moderate. I would consider a third-party person as long as they had an actual shot at winning — I wouldn’t want to feel like my vote is wasted.

Well, it seems like a likely scenario right now is that President Trump stays the way he is, Democrats elect a far-left candidate and a third party has no viable way to win enough electoral votes. Will you still vote?

That’s like my worst nightmare. I’d probably have another moral crisis like I did in 2016. I’d probably vote, but I have no idea who I’d vote for.

The second scheduled debates will be hosted by CNN on July 30 and 31 in Detroit, Michigan.