WILMINGTON, N.C.—Edwin Robasco was a truck driver and Teamsters union member from Boston. Less than a year ago, he moved to Wilmington, North Carolina—one of many retirees flocking to the warm southern state.
On a hot September day at the downtown farmers market, he explained why—after supporting “Kennedys, Kennedys, Kennedys” as a Democrat for years—he’s now voting for former President Donald Trump.
“You let millions of people in here. You don’t even know who they are. You don’t have a clue,” Robasco said, referring to the influx of illegal immigrants over the U.S. border, a main focus of Trump’s campaign.
“I don’t know how they’re gonna pay for them. You can’t just let people in and not help take care [of them]. You got to do it.”
Robasco is one of many North Carolinians who spoke with The Epoch Times about how they intend to vote in November’s presidential election and what’s driving their decisions.
With 15 electoral votes, North Carolina is crucial for both Trump and his Democratic opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris.
‘The Economy and the Border’
Across dozens of interviews, the state of the economy and the border crisis were top-of-mind issues for Democratic and Republican voters. Many were concerned about large numbers of illegal immigrants coming to their communities, even as they were supportive of immigration generally.“The big issues, right now, are the economy and the border. Those are the two major issues that people tell me about on a daily basis. They’re very concerned about our security in our country, and they are very concerned about the loss of jobs and the inflation rate,” North Carolina state Sen. W. Ted Alexander, a Republican, told The Epoch Times at a Trump rally in Mint Hill on Sept. 25.
Al Smith, a 34-year-old who owns an auto body repair shop in Greensboro, North Carolina, cited concern about illegal immigrants in the area as one of the reasons he’s voting for Trump this year.
“What happens to the average Joe? That job where he was getting paid $14 an hour, now it has been seven, eight bucks. ... that’s when it gets a little sticky,” Smith said.
“Some of the border things [Trump says] can be a little extreme, but at the same time, just think about how many people are passing through the border.”
Logan Prince, a business owner and Trump supporter, said, “When you have the influx ... when you get into millions and millions and millions, you know, they’re getting more money than our veterans—that’s a problem.”
Even some Harris supporters lamented the issue of illegal immigration, although they noted that local businesses relied upon it.
“We have concerns about borders and stuff like that,” Camila and Lyndon White, grandparents from Randolph County, North Carolina, who are supporting Harris, said.
“But we ... rely on our immigrant population. We have a friend who’s a brick mason, and all of his crews are immigrants. Without them, he couldn’t do what he does.”
“People think about immigration [here]. I mean, all those issues,” Palmer McIntyre, a Harris supporter and conservationist in Greensboro, said.
On the economy, voters were worried about both inflation and fuel prices. Disappointment with the Biden administration’s economic performance was a big reason why many were choosing to support Trump.
“I’m a small-business owner, and I’ve never had a president hurt me as much as this administration has hurt me—from fuel, fertilizers, [to] products,” Prince said. “Everything is crazy. ... [because of] interest rates. I can’t get money from anywhere. Nobody’s lending money and fuel.”
The Rev. Rick Baker, pastor of Faith Baptist Church in Mint Hill, North Carolina, said: “Our finances are going downhill terribly. People can’t afford those small things. I mean, especially those with lower incomes, they’re struggling. ... [As] a pastor of a church, I know my people, and they’re having it harder than they’ve ever been.”
He said he’s backing Trump.
Harris supporters also shared economic concerns.
“I used to think we were upper middle class. I think we’re just middle class now,” Camila White, who complained of high housing prices and the cost of living, said.
“[Prices] will continue to [go up], especially with food,” Cheryl Bridges, a Quaker chaplain in Greensboro, said.
She said she relies on monthly Social Security payments and said she is concerned that she won’t be able to cover her expenses.
Some of Harris’s supporters told The Epoch Times that Harris is not being clear enough about her economic plans. So far, Harris has proposed a number of tax credits for homebuyers, parents of minors, and businesses.
“I feel like Democrats don’t do a great job at really [communicating],” Russell, a Harris supporter who runs a mental health services provider in Greensboro and gave only his first name, said.
“You really gotta get very clear. ... and you gotta be really contemporary with your examples. I hope that she hasn’t peaked too early.”
Pro-Abortion Republicans
Abortion has become a flashpoint in the election following the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022, with several abortion bans in conservative states provoking backlashes. In North Carolina—where the state Legislature enacted a ban on abortions after 12 weeks of pregnancy, with certain exceptions—most voters told The Epoch Times that abortion should be permissible.“I can’t believe the Roe v. Wade changed. I can’t believe that [Trump] has the right to do that to women,” Jill Radzcwiz of Salisbury, North Carolina, said.
She said she is voting for Harris “mainly because of women.”
“We have two granddaughters, so I’m concerned about their reproductive rights,” White, a fellow Harris supporter, said. “I would like for [my daughter] to have the freedom to see her doctor and decide her health care needs. ... A woman should decide for herself.”
Many Republican voters also supported abortion despite the party’s history of opposing the procedure. Trump has said he wants to “leave it up to the states,” while Harris has made increased abortion access a centerpiece of her campaign.
“It’s really challenging to hear any man at all speak about reproductive rights. I mean, you know, I think that is a decision made by a woman,” Peter Koke, a landowner in Wilmington who said he is voting for Trump, said.
Trump voter Prince said: “I’m a conflicted person on abortion. Man, I think that if it’s early enough, it’s OK.”
“[The Republicans] should come out and say: ‘It’s a personal issue. Let’s be personally responsible,’” fellow Trump voter Smith said.
The Mark Robinson Factor
North Carolina will also elect a new governor in November. The incumbent, Democrat Gov. Roy Cooper, is term-limited, and running to succeed him are Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, a Republican, and Attorney General Josh Stein, a Democrat.Since then, Robinson has been conspicuously absent from Trump events in the state despite being endorsed by him. Many Republicans who spoke with The Epoch Times indicated that they will not vote for Robinson in the upcoming election.
“When there’s smoke, there’s probably a fire. There’s way too much smoke [here],” Paul Marcus, a warehouse worker in Mint Hill, North Carolina, said. Marcus said he will not vote for Robinson.
“He’s too much, unfortunately,” Robasco said. “I wish he wasn’t in this party.”
“It will dissuade people,” Luke Basso, a 19-year-old student at Cape Fear Community College in Wilmington, said. “Trump has endorsed Robinson, so I feel that could affect Trump. ... It affected me, and I’m a Republican.”
Several Republican voters came to Robinson’s defense when asked about this possibility.
“We’ve all watched porn. Every man in America has watched porn,” Prince said. “Mark Robinson is a good America First person. ... If the stories are true that Trump is pushing him out, I don’t like that.”
“I can’t believe the media,” Baker said. “It’s leaning strong left, and I don’t know what to believe now. They’ve lied about President Trump for so many years. How can you possibly believe them?”
Harris’s Achilles Heel
Just as Robinson’s candidacy poses problems for Trump, several left-leaning voters expressed antipathy to Harris’s candidacy over the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas following the terrorist attacks of Oct. 7, 2023.The Biden administration has faced substantial criticism from progressive and Muslim voters for its funding of Israel’s military operations in Gaza since the war began, giving some pause about Harris as well.
“Stopping the war on Palestine would be awesome. I’m not hearing that from anybody yet,” Bridges said.
“I am very pro-Palestinian, and neither of the two major candidates really support that. I’m a little leftist, so I would support Kamala over Trump if I did vote, but I’m very hesitant,” Giselle Rashid, a clinical researcher in Raleigh, said.
“Just [commit] to not sending more money and weapons to Israel. [That] would be a good start,” Rashid said when asked what Harris must do to earn her support. “There’s a big community that I think are in agreement on that subject.”
