Most people have decided who they are going to vote for. Former President Donald Trump is well known and polarizing 鈥� people either love him or hate him. Vice President Harris is famous, but voters say they don鈥檛 know her as well.
Polls show an incredibly tight race between them, and a handful of swing voters could decide the election, depending on who they vote for or if they decide to stay home.
Only a tiny slice of the electorate is considered persuadable 鈥� anywhere or less to the .
There were nearly four dozen undecided voters in the NPR/PBS News/Marist poll in the last four months who gave permission to call them back to follow up. To understand their current thinking and motivations, NPR tried them all and got in touch with 10 by phone in the days following the Harris-Trump debate. What we found was notable.
First, the debate was important for Harris. Most who watched said she performed better than Trump. They were not all moved to vote for her as a result, but four who seemed to need a degree of reassurance about Harris are now voting for her or leaning Harris鈥� direction after the debate.
And while undecided voters often have unique reasons for what influences their votes, there was a clear gender divide. All four who say they are now voting for or leaning toward Harris are women. That also reflects the between the candidates.
The other six 鈥� one woman and five men 鈥� were a mix. Five said they likely won鈥檛 be voting for Harris, most citing the economy or immigration as reasons. One other said he is still truly undecided, but said prices are a major concern. Two are leaning toward Trump; another said she aligns more with Robert F. Kennedy Jr.; a self-described progressive said he doesn鈥檛 like Harris鈥� stance on the war in Gaza; and one other, a conservative, said he might not vote at all.
Many did not want to use their full names; some didn鈥檛 want us to use any name at all. They cited security concerns. They said in this political environment, they were apprehensive about giving out too much personally identifiable information.
Here鈥檚 what they had to say:
Brady, 30, Wisconsin, leaning Trump
On the debate, Brady said, 鈥淜amala [Harris] did a better job articulating her points, obviously.鈥�
He added: 鈥淚 don鈥檛 want to go through another four years of a Trump presidency.鈥�
But his vote is largely contingent on his personal financial situation, and he noted, 鈥淭hings have gotten more expensive.鈥�
鈥淚 have probably a middle-class income for my family,鈥� he said, 鈥渁nd it doesn鈥檛 feel like it鈥檚 getting any easier 鈥� even as my wife and I have advanced in our careers.鈥�
Brady said he aligned more with former President Barack Obama and said he doesn鈥檛 鈥渓ike her policies鈥� on the economy.
Asked what specifically he doesn鈥檛 like, he said, 鈥淚 can鈥檛 say I鈥檓 super knowledgeable about the specifics, but from a how-our-family-is-feeling standpoint, just not sure.鈥�
Lee, 59, Wisconsin, leaning Trump
Lee did not like how ABC handled the debate, specifically the fact-checking. He felt the moderators 鈥渢eamed up on Trump.鈥�
He felt Harris did almost too well, saying it was 鈥渁lmost like rehearsed.鈥� But he said he 鈥渘ever got any message from Harris鈥� and said she 鈥渟kirted issues,鈥� including the Biden administration鈥檚 鈥渋nability to stop the flow of migrants鈥� and the economy.
鈥淭rump stuck his foot in his mouth multiple times,鈥� Lee said, though.
He said he wanted to see Trump, whom he trusts more on the economy, debate again and was unaware that Trump had said he would not do another debate with Harris. When told that, Lee said he was 鈥渄isappointed.鈥�
He said he鈥檚 鈥渘ot a big Republican, not a big Democrat.鈥� He voted for Sen. Bernie Sanders, the progressive independent from Vermont, in the 2016 primary and is now leaning toward Trump, independent Cornel West or the Green Party鈥檚 Jill Stein (not from an environmental standpoint, however, because he thinks the Green New Deal 鈥渨ent too far鈥�).
鈥淏ut I don鈥檛 want to piss away my vote,鈥� he said, pointing out that he is leaning most toward Trump because of that.
Woman, declined to give name, 68, Oregon, undecided
Of the debate, the respondent said, 鈥淚 was like, OK, who are these people? They were like bad actors. Kamala, suddenly she was so articulate when it鈥檚 usually word salad. There was something weird going on there.鈥�
Trump, on the other hand, she said, it was like 鈥渟omething was in his water,鈥� and he wasn鈥檛 his usual self.
She said this of her ideal ticket: 鈥淚f RFK [Jr.] was on the ticket with [former Rep.] Tulsi Gabbard [of Hawaii], it would have been a slam dunk for me.鈥�
Of Trump and Harris, she said: 鈥淚 am reluctant to vote for Trump, but I have absolutely no confidence about Kamala Harris鈥� ability to do anything about the border at all. We鈥檙e suffering for it.鈥�
She said she didn鈥檛 vote in the 2020 election, and that she doesn鈥檛 trust Trump fully, because he signed the CARES act, a COVID relief bill.
鈥淗e is aesthetically lacking,鈥� she said, laughing, but 鈥渢he major Trump haters are missing the whole point. They鈥檙e not looking at issues; they鈥檙e looking at personality.鈥�
Jene Proffitt, 45, Arkansas, leaning Harris
Proffitt did not see the debate or follow news about it afterward. She said she voted for Trump in 2016 and did not vote for president in 2020. But she is resolved to do so this time.
鈥淚鈥檓 going to go out and will vote this year,鈥� said Proffitt, a mother of five. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a right I should exercise. I want to show my kids that鈥檚 a right.鈥�
Of the candidates, she said she doesn鈥檛 know much at this point about Harris鈥� policy positions, but she is leaning her direction because of Trump.
鈥淚 feel Trump鈥檚 disrespect for women is not befitting of a president,鈥� she said. 鈥淗e is not someone I want my girls to look up to as a role model.鈥�
About Harris, she added: 鈥淪he鈥檚 a woman, and maybe having a female president would do the country some good. 鈥� I gave the other guy a try, why not give her a try?鈥�
Phyllis Bohlman, 76, Idaho, voting Harris
A Republican and former interior decorator and rancher, Bohlman said she made the switch to vote Democratic when Trump came on the scene.
鈥淣o, I have not voted for Trump, nor will I ever,鈥� Bohlman said. 鈥淚 have never been able to stand the guy since he came into the picture years ago. I even took a book away from my 16-year-old son that [Trump] had written about making money. He didn鈥檛 make his money; he inherited it and lost it. He鈥檚 not a good businessman. He鈥檚 not anything but a narcissistic misogynist.鈥�
She was undecided in May, but is now locked in for Harris. She said she saw the debate and thought Harris performed well.
鈥淚 will vote Democrat,鈥� Bohlman said. 鈥淚 will vote for Kamala. I liked the way she came across in the debate. She is a very astute, intelligent woman, who knows exactly where she鈥檚 going. She doesn鈥檛 hinge her judgment on whether she likes someone or not.鈥�
She went on to cite the overturning of Roe v. Wade abortion protections, which she blames squarely on Trump, as another motivating factor for her to vote for Harris.
鈥淚 am so angry about that,鈥� she said of the Supreme Court鈥檚 Dobbs decision. 鈥淚t鈥檚 so unfair that a bunch of men are making decisions for women. I think it鈥檚 horrific.鈥�
Bohlman also brought up the siege at the Capitol on Jan. 6, which she said was 鈥渁ppalling,鈥� called out GOP leaders鈥� hypocrisy in criticizing Trump initially and then trying to get back in his good graces, and she noted that she has lots of family members who are 鈥渁damantly pro-Trump.鈥�
鈥淭hey do not look at the whole picture,鈥� she said of Trump supporters. 鈥淚鈥檓 sure after this second [assassination] attempt, they鈥檒l be saying, 鈥楪od is protecting him.鈥� It鈥檚 just a bunch of crock.鈥�
Annette, declined to give age, Illinois, voting Harris
Annette is a registered independent who generally votes Democratic. In June, she was undecided if she would vote at all because she was concerned about President Biden鈥檚 age and ability to do the job.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 realize how bad he was,鈥� Annette said after watching Biden in the June 27 debate. 鈥淗e lost his oomph. He made Trump look good.鈥�
But now, she is enthusiastically backing Harris.
鈥淚 would never vote for him,鈥� Annette said of Trump. She called herself 鈥渉appily surprised, maybe not surprised, but happy with [Harris鈥橾 presentation鈥� at the debate. Annette said Harris proved she鈥檚 鈥減erfectly capable.鈥�
Dr. Linda Remensnyder, 76, Illinois, voting Harris
Remensnyder is a registered independent, but described herself as a 鈥淩epublican at heart.鈥�
鈥淚 really liked Nikki Haley,鈥� Remensnyder said. 鈥淚 was hoping she would run [as the Republican nominee].鈥�
The retired audiologist voted for Trump in 2016 and then Biden in 2020. Remensnyder said she owned three doctors鈥� practices. As a business owner, she said, 鈥淚 thought I could trust Trump. He was a businessman, but he was an absolute disaster鈥� from the start, Remensnyder said.
And 鈥渁s a medical professional,鈥� she said she thought 鈥渨hat he did with COVID was embarrassing.鈥�
But this time around, Remensnyder said she was 鈥渄espondent鈥� at the choice between Biden and Trump. She felt Biden鈥檚 mental fitness had declined too much to do the job any longer.
鈥淚 couldn鈥檛 trust him to run the government. 鈥� It really scared me,鈥� she said.
When Harris entered, Remensnyder gave her a shot.
鈥淚 watched her,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 listened to her. I am a woman, and women鈥檚 needs are first, even before party.鈥�
Remensnyder is pro-abortion rights and said she liked how Harris has advocated for women鈥檚 reproductive freedom, and she liked Harris鈥� experience as a litigator.
Remensnyder said she thought Harris did fairly well in the debate, but 鈥渄id not answer most of the questions. She did skirt the issues. I don鈥檛 think she鈥檚 the best. I really, really wanted Nikki Haley.鈥�
But she added that she is 鈥渃onfident鈥� in Harris鈥� ability to do the job, though not confident she will win because of the clear gender divide she sees. Remensnyder said her husband and son are conservative and tell her they are leaving the presidential line on the ballot blank.
鈥淭hey can鈥檛 force themselves to vote Democratic,鈥� she said.
Thiago, 21, New Jersey, undecided if he will vote
A college student born in Brazil, he described himself as a progressive whose top issue is the war in Gaza.
鈥淒onald Trump won鈥檛 get my vote,鈥� Thiago said, pointing out that Trump鈥檚 position on the war is a nonstarter.
After Biden dropped out, he was waiting to see what Harris would do, but Thiago said her posture on Gaza 鈥渉asn鈥檛 been a great one.鈥�
鈥淚鈥檓 still undecided whether it鈥檚 worth it to vote for Kamala, given her not-great stance on Palestine,鈥� Thiago said, 鈥渁nd given she鈥檚 reaching out more to conservatives than more-progressive members of her party.鈥�
He watched the debate and said Trump was 鈥渙ff the ball in the same way Biden seemed entirely way too old and needing to step aside. Trump seemed to inherit that and seemed rattled by Kamala.鈥�
Even if you鈥檙e on Trump鈥檚 side, Thiago said, it was 鈥渙bvious鈥� that 鈥淭rump didn鈥檛 do great in that debate.鈥�
Thiago said he鈥檚 still going to vote down-ballot, but short of Harris saying she will cut off weapons shipments to Israel, he likely will leave the presidential line blank.
Ron Gideon, 61, Oklahoma, might not vote
A registered Republican, Gideon voted for Trump in 2016, but didn鈥檛 vote for him in 2020 鈥渂ecause of some of the choices he made.鈥� He didn鈥檛 specify which ones.
Of Trump and Harris: 鈥淭hey both have their challenges.鈥�
But he won鈥檛 be voting for Harris. 鈥淚 understand her economic plan,鈥� he said, 鈥渂ut her liberalism is a little bit too liberal.鈥�
Gideon added: 鈥淭his might be a situation where neither one of them gets my vote.鈥�
John, 58, Florida, undecided
John is a registered independent originally from Nassau County, N.Y., and has a blue-collar background as the son of a firefighter. He considers himself a 鈥渓iberal union Democrat.鈥� He voted for Obama twice, even volunteered to 鈥渨ork the phones,鈥� he said, and thought former President Bill Clinton 鈥渄id a great job as president.鈥�
He did not vote for Hillary Clinton in 2016 because of a personal experience; she didn鈥檛 show to an event he was involved with planning. In 2020, he said his son, who was 5 then, essentially cast his ballot for Biden, because he wanted to vote for him.
John said he鈥檚 not following the current presidential race that much, but did watch 鈥渁 little bit鈥� of the debate. His biggest concerns are housing affordability, groceries and gas prices.
鈥淭rump was cuckoo for saying that the dogs and cats were being eaten,鈥� John said, 鈥渂ut Kamala Harris wasn鈥檛 really answering any of the questions,鈥� especially about the economy.
John said he wants to see something put forward to 鈥渟top the inflation.鈥� John also doesn鈥檛 trust Harris (mispronouncing her name as 鈥淐amilla鈥� at one point) because of her changed positions on things like fracking.
鈥淚 think Joe Biden did the best he could,鈥� John said. 鈥淚f he could have just grabbed the horns on inflation 鈥� things are through the roof. 鈥� It鈥檚 gone freakin鈥� nuts.鈥�
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