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Doubts about both candidates leave many Wisconsin voters undecided: “I want Jesus to come before the election”
With the Republican National Convention underway, most voters are paying close attention to presidential politics. However, enthusiasm remains low, especially as a Trump-Biden rematch looms.
During the primaries, polls consistently showed that voters did not want another showdown between former President Donald Trump and President Biden. Despite this, it appears to be the matchup the country will face, raising questions about how voter dissatisfaction will impact actual voting and which candidate might have an edge in enthusiasm.
CBS News spoke to voters in Wisconsin, home to this year’s Republican National Convention, before Saturday’s attempted assassination of Trump.
At a popular bratwurst joint in Kenosha, nearly everyone expressed they were keeping up with politics and planned to vote.
However, when asked how they felt about the upcoming election, many voters showed signs of apprehension and worry. One woman even said, “I want Jesus to come before the election.”
Another woman said her heart gets really tense just thinking about the election.
“I’m just really worried,” she said.
While Biden supporters often express reservations or hope for another option, Trump supporters appear more enthusiastic.
A local man, when asked if he was excited about his choice, responded, “Absolutely.”
A poll conducted last month in Wisconsin found that 61% of Trump voters described themselves as “very enthusiastic” about their candidate, compared to just 39% of Mr. Biden’s supporters. Nearly half of Democrats nationwide now believe Mr. Biden should step aside, according to a CBS News poll taken shortly after his disastrous debate but before the assassination attempt.
But a vote is a vote, no matter how enthusiastic. At the Mars Cheese Castle, in between the curds and accessories, there were quite a few not-so-excited Biden voters.
“We all can dream and imagine something better, but you’ve got one guy and he’s there, you know, so,” said a man by the name of Pete.
The reality of 2024 is that most voters have significant doubts about both candidates. Two-thirds have little or no confidence in Mr. Biden’s physical fitness and a majority doubt Trump would act ethically if reelected.
“I think neither one of them are perfect,” said one voter.
This sentiment leaves a sizable number of voters who could still be swayed if circumstances change. One undecided voter said, “I’m just trying to see what they end up doing because you know you’re hearing rumors that some people are gonna drop out.”
One shopper expressed frustration, feeling that the current political options give the country a bad look.
“They make us look like idiots,” said a voter by the name of Nonnie. “Where’s the Kennedys? Where’s the Bushes? Where’s the honorable people at, to step up?”
Meanwhile, at City Lights Brewery in Milwaukee, some voters expressed a lack of confidence in both major party leaders’ ability to solve the nation’s problems.
Becky, a local, summed it up: “I’m definitely not voting for Biden… I can’t say 100% that I’m gonna vote for Trump either. We still have a couple of months to see who comes out of the woodwork.”
According to CBS News polling, while both candidates face doubts, Biden’s challenges are more significant. Republicans currently have a 9-point advantage in terms of party members who say they definitely plan to vote. Among those doubting Mr. Biden, many are less likely to turn out and more likely to consider alternative candidates.
More than three-quarters of Americans regret some of the financial moves they’ve made — or neglected to make — but two common missteps stand out as money matters people most wish they had handled differently.
The most common financial regret? Not saving for retirement early enough, according to a new Bankrate study. That jibes with other recent reports showing that many Americans nearing retirement consider themselves woefully unprepared to stop working in their golden years.
“It shows a very common sentiment — that people may not be as prepared for retirement as they feel they should be, or just regret that they would be in a more secure financial position if they had started earlier,” said Bankrate Chief Financial Analyst Greg McBride.
Overall, 22% of Americans said not saving for retirement early enough is their top financial regret. Older generations, who are closest to retirement, were more likely to cite not starting to save early enough as their biggest regret than younger generations.
“Regrets about not saving for retirement early enough loom larger the closer those golden years become,” McBride said. “We saw a very steady increase in those regrets with age,” he noted.
Five percent of Gen Zers said they regretted not saving for retirement early enough — a figure that increased to 14% for millennials, 26% for Gen Xers, and 37% for boomers, according to the Bankrate study.
The second most common financial regret relates to a far less predictable scenario than retirement: 18% of Americans said they regretted not socking away enough money to cover emergency expenses.
“Regret about emergency savings ranks really high every year, so it’s keeping with the American tradition of not being particularly good on the saving side,” McBride said.
How can I start saving sooner?
McBride offered tips for younger generations to make use of now, in order to avoid feeling regretful down the road.
He advised people to automatically make contributions to their retirement savings plans and emergency savings funds by contributing to a retirement savings account through payroll, and setting up a direct deposit of a portion of your paycheck into an emergency savings account.
“You can work toward both goals simultaneously,” he said. “Automating it means you’re paying yourself first, and you’ve automated both of those before you even roll out of bed in the morning.”
McBride also noted that inflation-driven high prices were the top contributor to Americans not saving enough for retirement and emergencies. Americans also cited their employment situation as a reason for their not being able to save as much as they’d like.
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