The Deciders, October: 2020 Non-Voters in Swing States

In this Article

• Views of Trump’s Years in Office
• Views of the Biden Administration
• What These 2020 Non-Voters Like About Trump
• How They Feel About Harris
• Concerns About a Second Trump Presidency
• Concerns about a Harris Presidency
• Who They Plan to Vote For

In October, the Deciders checked in with 12 people who didn’t vote in 2020 but plan to vote in 2024. They represent several swing states and are made up of seven independents, three Democrats, and two Republicans.

Each month leading up to the November election, The Deciders checks in with a group of voters who will be outsized in choosing the country’s next president. These voters have talked about their opinions on the presidential race and the issues that will affect their votes. The initiative is a partnership between Sago, Engagious, NBC News and Syracuse University’s Institute for Democracy, Journalism and Citizenship.

Views of Trump’s Years in Office

During the focus group discussions, the voters seemed to favor Donald Trump over Kamala Harris. Part of their support for Trump was due to how they remember his administration.

When asked to describe what life was like in the United States during Trump’s years in office, their comments included:

“Prosperous is the word. Economy was good. Jobs were good.”

“I feel like it was hopeful.”

“Life was OK. It wasn’t really bad. It wasn’t really, really great, but I felt like I was surviving.”

“All I can really think is sad.”

“During that time, it was OK.”

“Robust.”

“Prosperous.”

“I would say it was just normal.”

“Growing divide.”

“Unpredictable.”

Views of the Biden Administration

In contrast, the participants didn’t discuss the Biden years so positively. When asked to describe American life during the Biden administration, their comments included:

“Struggling.”

“Confusing.”

“Difficult.”

“Anxious.”

“I would say I was hopeful”

“Declining.”

“More difficult, harder.”

“Troubling.”

“Crashing.”

What They Like About Trump

When the 2020 non-voters were asked how they felt about Trump personally, the list of things they like included:

“Not a career politician.”

“Business-minded.”

“Successful.”

“Gets stuff done.”

“Captivating.”

“I think he is a very, very smart man, especially when it comes to finances and money and I think that’s something that America can always benefit from.”

“He doesn’t back down no matter what anyone throws at him.”

“I think he’s willing to make an unpopular choice.”

How They Feel About Harris

The list of things the focus group participants liked about Harris included words like “comforting,” “caring” and “educated.” They said she “means well” and is a “nice person.” However, they had much more to say about why they didn’t like Harris. Their comments included:

“I dislike that I don’t know much.”

“I dislike her stance on some of her criminalization and prosecution efforts.”

“I dislike that she wasn’t more present before being nominated as the presidential candidate.”

“I dislike how she doesn’t really focus on one issue. She kind of dodges it.”

“She just doesn’t feel genuine to me. A lot of what she says and does feels fake to me.”

“I feel like she’s kind of a puppet. I feel like somebody else is pulling the strings. I feel like she’s saying what other people are having her say and I don’t know that it’s necessarily all her agenda.”

“I think she’s been the second most powerful person in the entire world for four years and hasn’t shown much action.”

Concerns About a Second Trump Presidency

These 2020 non-voters do have concerns about Trump, though. As they spoke about their fears about a second Trump presidency, their comments included:

“If he were to get elected, I would be afraid he would spend his whole term Twitter fighting and fighting in the courts rather than being president.”

“The capital riot, that really left a number on me … there’s hardcore on both sides, but that was just like a terrorist attack. It was crazy.”

“I’m afraid that he may do something that would harm or directly affect Social Security.”

“The disappearance of middle class altogether, a bigger divide between the richer and the poor.”

“I’m worried about myself and my daughters, losing more rights to our bodies.”

“I’m worried about him supporting the project 2025 agenda.”

“In cahoots with Russia.”

However, knowing that Trump was president before seemed to ease some of these worries. Their support for Trump is transactional, though. If these 2020 non-voters vote for him in the 2024 election, they expect prices to become more affordable.

Concerns About a Harris Presidency

The focus group participants have fears about Harris as president, too. Their concerns included:

“I fear that if she gets elected, the country will be even more divided and that she won’t be powerful enough to help alleviate it or calm it down. Then things might get kind of out of control under her.”

“I’m afraid that if she tries to do all the things that she wants to do, like building three million new homes and plans for this and plans for that, that the deficit is just going to spiral out of control.”

“I worry that her desire to be liked might take precedence in her decision making.”

“Going back and forth. Saying the right thing to get elected and doing the wrong thing or at least not what [she was] elected to do.”

“I’m afraid that she’ll ruin the economy more than it already is, based off her proposed economic ideas.”

Who They Plan to Vote For

The focus groups included seven independents, three Democrats, and two Republicans. Out of these 12, eight people were leaning toward voting for Trump and the other four were leaning toward Harris. However, between when the participants signed up to be part of the focus groups and when the groups actually took place, some had changed their minds.

One woman from Georgia initially said she was leaning toward Harris. During the focus group, however, she said she was more likely to vote for Trump. Her comments included:

“I think the media coverage and a lot of things I’ve seen on social media has made my indecisiveness even stronger. Now, I’m leaning towards Trump, simply because I see the way on my life and my family’s situation has declined since the Biden-Harris administration … The economy is the main thing. I feel like that’s the first thing that needs to be straightened out, before we can even address all of the other issues. And so that’s my main reason.”

However, this participant said that she might decide not to vote on Nov. 5. Here’s how she explained not voting in 2020 and why she may not vote this year :

„There is some fearmongering that I’ve fallen subject to. I’m really worried about the project 2025 agenda. I feel like if I don’t want to make the wrong decision, maybe I should just sit it out, which is why I sat out the last election, because I couldn’t support either candidate.”