JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Democrat and Republican voters across Jacksonville came together Tuesday night at separate watch parties for the highly-anticipated presidential debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.
What they saw were the two candidates covering topics like abortion, immigration, the Israel-Hamas war and economic issues.
(To watch a full post-debate breakdown from our experts, click the video player above)
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Dozens of Democratic voters packed the IBEW Local 177 in Springfield to watch the showdown.
Supports of Harris showed excitement as she spoke about her policies and political record. There were even more bursts of excitement when she defended herself against Trump.
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Nekinia Wright, first vice chair of the Duval Dems, talked about the topics she wanted to hear the candidates address.
“I would say woman’s healthcare, abortion. And the fact that democrats don’t support infanticide but that we do support abortion for those that need it. Also the economy, protection for the middle class as well as housing and economic development,” Wright said.
At the Mudville Grill in St. Nicholas, cheers and sighs filled the room as Republican voters watched the showdown.
Those in attendance cheered as Trump spoke on various topics and responded to Harris.
People like Dan Hardy feel both candidates did well with getting their points across.
“I think Kamala done better than I expected her to do,” Hardy said. “I think Trump is still winning the debate, but I think Trump stepped on his message. A couple of times he got in the way of mediators doing follow-up questions for Kamala that he interrupted.”
The election is less than two months away. The final day to register to vote in the presidential election is Oct. 7.