After the presidential debate on Tuesday, September 10, Kamala Harris was widely considered to have outperformed the former Republican President Donald Trump, gaining the upper hand. However, a group of undecided voters still do not understand Harris’s economic policies and do not believe that the Democratic vice president is a better candidate.
According to Reuters, they interviewed 10 people who were undecided on how to vote in the election on November 5 before watching the debate. Six of them stated after the debate that they are now inclined to vote for or support Trump, while three said they are now leaning towards supporting Harris, and one person remains undecided.
Among the interviewees were four women and six men, with eight being white and two being black. All of them have previously voted for both Democratic and Republican candidates.
The election campaign between Harris and Trump is extremely close, with the outcome likely to be determined by the votes of a few battleground states, many of which are swing voters like the undecided voters interviewed by Reuters.
Although the sample size is small, these responses indicate that Harris may need to provide more detailed policy proposals to win over undecided voters.
Five voters expressed that they found Harris vague in the over 90-minute debate on how to improve the American economy and address the high cost of living, which is a matter of utmost importance to the voters.
A weekend poll conducted by The New York Times/Siena College showed that over a quarter of potential voters feel they do not know Harris well enough, contrasting sharply with the well-known figure of Trump.
Trump’s supporters mentioned that despite many people not liking Trump as a person, they trust him more on economic policies. They mentioned that during Trump’s presidency from 2017 to 2021, their personal economic situations improved. Some interviewees specifically pointed out Trump’s proposal to impose tariffs on imported goods, even though economists suggest it may raise prices.
Four out of the six interviewees also expressed that Harris did not convince them that she would implement different economic policies than the Democratic President Joe Biden.
Mark Kadish, a 61-year-old entrepreneur from Florida, shared, “I still don’t know what her goals are, there’s no substance in her plans.”
While Harris did mention some policy details, including her plan to provide tax incentives for families and small businesses, most of her time in the debate was spent attacking Trump rather than outlining detailed policies.
Robert Wheeler, a 48-year-old executive from a security company in Nevada, leaned towards supporting Harris before the debate. However, he now mentioned that if the election were tomorrow, he would vote for Trump because he feels Harris did not clarify her policies.
Wheeler stated, “I felt like the whole debate was Harris telling me why I shouldn’t vote for Donald Trump rather than telling me why she’s the right candidate.”
Meredith Marshall, a self-employed professional from Los Angeles, expressed her support for Harris. She mentioned that while she wished to hear more about the economy from the vice president, she still appreciates her plans to assist small business owners.