With only 17 days left until the presidential election, it's difficult to find people in New Hampshire who are still undecided. The latest poll shows they represent only about five percent of likely voters. For them, Wednesday night's presidential debate was their last chance to compare the candidates side by side.
New Hampshire Public Radio's Amy Quinton reports.
Litchfield resident Jason Knights watched the two previous debates but for him, this was the one where the candidates finally talked about the issues that will make the most difference in his and most American's lives. He voted for Bush in 2000, but says it was more of a vote against Al Gore.
On the top of Kights' list of concerns - health care.
(I've gone awhile without health care coverage and I got hurt while I didn't have health care coverage)
Knights is an independent and runs a small marketing firm.
(It's a huge thing to me, to see especially children get the health care coverage they need. With our resources there's really no excuse to have people with no health care coverage)
Knights says President Bush has branded Kerry as having a government health care plan, but these words from Kerry struck home.
KERRY (I don't force you to do anything. It's not a government plan. The government doesn't require you to do anything. You choose your doctor. You choose your plan)
But if Knights gives Kerry a thumbs up on health care, he says both candidates have flawed positions on the best way to create jobs.
He says Kerry is simplifying a complex problem by saying that stopping the outsourcing of American jobs overseas will help the economy.
And he says President Bush needs to do a lot more than just retrain or educate those that have lost jobs.
(To say that jobs are leaving, we'll just reeducate them into new careers, well not everyone can do that, if you live in Berlin or in the north country of New Hampshire, or a factory town in Ohio, even if you retrain to be a software engineer, there might not be the jobs around there for you)
Knights says he's still undecided.
So is Hillsborough resident and mother Virginia Bartholdus.
Bartholdus has voted Republican all of her life, but for the first time, she says she's considering voting for Kerry.
Her son Ben has asthma and she believes Bush's environmental policies are making air pollution worse.
But when it comes to national security, she likes these words from the president.
(I will never turn over our national security decision to leaders of other countries, we'll be resolute, we'll be strong, and we'll wage a comprehensive war against the terrorists)
Bartholdus says she still needs reassurance that Kerry is a leader. That's what she was looking for in Wednesday night's debate.
(Now I'm at the point, is this for real, did Kerry flip-flop, is he someone who isn't going to be able to lead the country, with Bush I have that comfort factor)
Bartholdus says ultimately, the debate didn't influence her decision.
For the first time she'll go undecided into the voting booth.
And speaking metaphorically, she says she'll bring with her those things which are most important to her.
(I will be bringing into that booth one of my dearest friends, a mother of five sons, three of which are, one's in Basic, one's in Iraq, one just got back from Iraq but could turnaround and go back. I'm going to bring my son Ben, and his asthma and all the children whose asthma is so much worse)
Other undecided voters are just as torn and their concerns are just as personal.
Like Bartholdus, Weare resident Bill Johnson is also a registered Republican. After the debate Johnson felt like he was leaning toward Kerry because he was fed up with the size of the deficit.
(I'm 70-30 going to vote for Kerry, this fiscal irresponsibility just sticks with me. We're 425 billion dollars in debt, it's just unconscionable we've put ourselves in this position)
But Johnson is opposed to abortion and listened carefully when Kerry had this to say.
(I'm not going appoint a judge to the Court who's going to undo a constitutional right, whether it's the first amendment or the fifth I believe that right of choice is a constitutional right)
After reading the transcripts of the debate Johnson says he walked away undecided.
(It's a polarizing issue, but it is an important issue for me and if he was pro life I'd vote for him in a flash I wouldn't even think about it)
For the undecided voters, their strong personal feelings about the issues aren't a perfect fit with either candidate. Litchfield resident Jason Knights notes that he's not immune to considering a candidate's personal style when making a decision.
(Bush if falling victim to the same thing that killed Gore in 2000 for me, the smirks, the eye rolling, the Oh god, I have to debate this guy sort of thing)
But Knights says ultimately he's undecided. He says he could walk into the voting booth and choose Kerry. Or he might leave the choice of president blank. Which he says is no answer at all. For NHPR news, I'm Amy Quinton.
