How are undecided Texans gearing up for their presidential pick? This is part two of a series through the last month before Election Day.
Richard Keller鈥檚 kids were out playing with some friends Sunday night. His wife was at a movie. He was alone in his living room, hunkered down, watching Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump debate for the second time. His thoughts?
鈥淭his has officially just jumped the shark,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 mean, I will say Hillary is trying to fight classy, but you鈥檝e got Trump just throwing his poop around like a monkey. This is 鈥� I can鈥檛 鈥� ugh. Can we, can we, can we skip this year somehow?鈥�
Keller is a salesman from Fort Worth. I asked him and the other undecided voters to record their reactions during Sunday鈥檚 debate. And they鈥檙e angry 鈥� angry at Trump and Clinton, angry at other voters, angry at having to make this choice between these candidates.
For months it鈥檚 been clear the two top candidates would be Trump and Clinton, but, for these undecideds, that鈥檚 just become more and more frustrating.
Josh Thompson is a home builder from Tyler.
鈥淚t amazes me that our two parties nominated these buffoons,鈥� Thompson says. 鈥淩eally, it just amazes me. I think I told you this last time maybe, that I don鈥檛 know a single person in my everyday life, that I kinda work with and associate with, that loves either Hillary or Trump, but somehow those are our two nominees.鈥�
He typically votes Republican but says he can鈥檛 stomach Trump. At the same time, Clinton鈥檚 policies are a non-starter, especially on energy and the national debt.
鈥淚鈥檝e got a guy who does some work for me, he was telling me he鈥檚 going to go vote for Trump. And his reasoning is 鈥榊ou know what she is 鈥� you don鈥檛 know exactly what he is.鈥� There鈥檚 a chance that you could get maybe a better result if you vote for Trump. Not saying that I鈥檓 going to go vote for Trump, but more it just resonated with me, just the sadness of this election. That鈥檚 how people feel I think in general.鈥�
Even among undecideds who know they won鈥檛 vote for him, Trump鈥檚 name comes up over and over. And more importantly, he colors their decision-making.
Take Keller again 鈥� last week he told me he was trying to choose between Libertarian Gary Johnson and Clinton. He says normally wouldn鈥檛 vote for Clinton, but the fact that she鈥檚 got the best chance against Trump makes him think twice.
Blanca Morales from San Antonio is in a similar spot. If a different Republican were on the ballot, she鈥檇 feel confident picking the candidate who best matches her politics 鈥� that鈥檚 Jill Stein of the Green Party. But even the possibility of a Trump presidency has her considering Clinton.
鈥淚 would hate to vote for somebody and not vote for the person who I think fully aligns with my values,鈥� Morales says. 鈥淏ut, I just started wondering, is there a point to voting for Stein? I guess there is, but I would hate for something to happen and then feel like I just didn鈥檛 help the situation.鈥�
The same goes for Dawn Pekar, who will not vote for Trump. She鈥檚 from Sweeny, a small town south of Houston, where Clinton gets little support. She thinks that鈥檚 partly because Clinton is a woman.
鈥淧eople my age were surround by that as little girls,鈥� she says. 鈥淭hat yeah, you can do whatever you want, but not this, and not this, and not this. And president sure wasn鈥檛 an option. One of these people said 鈥� and it鈥檚 been 30 years ago 鈥� that I think a woman should be a doctor or a lawyer if she wants to but I would never go to a woman. ...That was my mommy.鈥�
Pekar rejected that idea. And she challenges people in Sweeny who dismiss Clinton out of hand. That鈥檚 one of the reasons this election is such a tough choice for her. She鈥檚 not in love with Clinton鈥檚 politics or record, but she respects her, and she finds herself defending Clinton all the time. So, bottom-line, who is she going to vote for? Are any of the four undecided Texans any closer to a choice than they were last week?
Keller: 鈥淣o, not at all.鈥�
Pekar: 鈥淚 don鈥檛 really feel closer, I don鈥檛 really feel closer. I will probably still be looking up sites and reading things and watching videos the day of the election.鈥�
鈥淵eah, I鈥檓 still on the fence. It鈥檚 going to be really hard for me to go vote for Donald Trump. It really is.鈥�
But for Morales, the picture may be coming into just a little sharper focus: 鈥淩ight now, I鈥檓 leaning toward voting for Clinton.鈥�
But it鈥檚 not a choice she鈥檚 thrilled with. Right after the debate, she explained her likely pick isn鈥檛 so much from confidence in Clinton, but disgust with her opponent鈥檚 behavior and rhetoric.
鈥淚t鈥檚 just really dehumanizing,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 infuriating. And every time I watch these debates I just feel angrier and angrier. And maybe that鈥檚 what my vote needs to say.鈥�
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