After Harris-Trump debate, independents weigh in on who gets their vote | 2024 Election
Vice President Kamala Harris (right) and former President Donald Trump (left) during the second presidential debate on Sept. 10, 2024. (Photographer: Doug Mills/The New York Times/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
PHOENIX - With weeks remaining until Election Day, both major presidential candidates are fighting for the votes of independents.
The independent vote is an important one: According to Arizona's voter registration report from July 30, 33.95% of registered voters in the state are not affiliated with a party. Meanwhile, 29.1% of the state's registered voters are Democrats, and 35.41% are registered Republicans.
"Historically, this group is notoriously unpredictable," said Arizona State University professor Thom Reilly, referring to independent voters. "They were supporting [former President Barack] Obama by eight percentage points, then they switched to Trump by four percentage points, then Biden by 13 percentage points. In January, independents were leaning towards Trump by 10 percentage points, and then recent polls suggest that maybe there is a 2% to 4% shift towards Harris."
After Tuesday night's debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump, we asked people if the heated debate changed any minds, and two people, identified only as "Andy" and "Jerimiah", said they have made up their mind.
Also Watch: Debate recap: Experts weigh in | Battleground Ep. 32
"I'll be voting for Kamala this election," said Andy.
"Donald Trump," said Jerimiah.
Neither said the debate played a role. Rather, their deciding issues are ones experts predict will highly influence voters: abortion and the economy.
"For me, personally, it's like stance on abortion issues," said Andy.
"It’s about money," said Jerimiah. "I like money."
"A good portion of independents probably have decided on their candidate, but I think if there’s one group of voters that perhaps a debate might be more informative, or perhaps have the ability to shift or solidify who they vote for, it would be independent voters," said Reilly.
Reilly also said the race will probably come down to who shows up, including young people. He said in 2022, only a third of registered Gen Z voters showed up.