In Battleground Georgia, Voters Demand Solutions to Inflation, Key Issues

Jon Domanick, a 49-year-old math teacher at a public high school in Savannah, Georgia, considers himself a “truly independent” voter, as he does not adhere to party lines when casting his vote.

“I registered as independent. I have voted Democrat in the past,” he informed The Epoch Times.

However, this year, he is leaning towards former President Donald Trump, the Republican nominee—a notable shift from 2020 when he wrote in Tulsi Gabbard, a former Democrat congresswoman, as his preferred candidate.

Nevertheless, Domanick remains cautious. Before making his decision this year, he wants to hear Trump’s plan for addressing inflation, which he believes is a significant issue for many Americans.

According to him, neither candidate has presented a concrete plan on how they will fulfill their campaign promises.

“They talk about what they’re going to do. They don’t explain how they’re going to do it,” he remarked.

“The main thing I need to hear from Trump is about gas prices. That’s where we need to start,” he emphasized.

“Drill, baby, drill,” Domanick quipped, referencing a 2008 Republican campaign slogan often used by Trump in recent times.

According to the math teacher, lower gas prices would reduce transportation expenses and, ultimately, lower prices on store shelves.

Domanick is concerned that the country is heading in the wrong direction, particularly when he thinks about the future of his two high school-aged daughters.

“Just imagine college education. The cost for them could reach six figures in some cases, if I want them to attend a decent school,” he stated.

“I’m a math teacher, so I understand compound interest,” he added, expressing his worries about predatory student loans.

While he is open to student loan forgiveness, he believes the government should not selectively forgive student debt based on political motives. There needs to be a more robust and equitable plan for families burdened by substantial school loans, he argued.

His 77-year-old mother, Linda Domanick, supports Trump and believes that the current state of the economy and her strong support for Israel are crucial factors influencing her choice to vote for the former president.

“There are so many things going wrong,” she remarked. “As a senior citizen living on disability, it’s becoming almost impossible to survive. I’m considering selling my house.”

The Epoch Times visited cities in South Georgia to assess voter sentiment, comprehend the factors influencing their decisions, and determine what they expect from candidates in the next 60 days.

Harris, Trump Appeal to Georgia Voters

In 2020, Joe Biden narrowly won in Georgia, flipping the state that Trump had won in 2016.

With just around 60 days left until the election, both the Trump and Harris campaigns are increasing their outreach efforts to engage with voters in the Peach State.

Last week, Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic Party’s presidential candidate, along with her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, embarked on a two-day bus tour, visiting rural communities and suburbs in South Georgia to rally support in the state.

The Harris-Walz campaign is targeting black voters in an attempt to replicate the high turnout that flipped the state in 2020.

Harris concluded her tour with a solo campaign speech in Savannah on August 29, urging thousands of supporters to work diligently until election day.

A week earlier, Trump’s running mate, Senator JD Vance (R-Ohio), held a rally in Valdosta, a town in southern Georgia situated about 15 miles north of the Florida state line.

Teacher Changes Careers for Better Compensation

Rosie Gibbons, a 27-year-old former first-grade educator from Sunbury, Georgia, is a staunch supporter of Harris and intends to vote for her. She believes Harris is competent and has the appropriate background to lead the country, especially in addressing critical issues such as inflation, safeguarding democracy, and addressing gun violence.

Gibbons recently transitioned from teaching to becoming a life insurance agent. After five years as an educator, she found it financially unsustainable and left due to the lack of respect and the overwhelming demands of the job.

“I left teaching because it just wasn’t working out for me,” she disclosed. “I couldn’t support myself independently as a single woman, as a public-school educator.”

Gibbons hopes to learn more about Harris’s views on education policy.

“There are numerous systemic issues within the public school system, and I would like those to be addressed, even though I am no longer in that field,” she stated.

Gibbons believes that current trends are placing educators in the line of fire between policymakers and parents.

“I’ve had parents ask me to ensure their child is using the bathroom correctly. That’s not my responsibility. That’s not what I do.

She expressed her dissatisfaction with the situation, mentioning concerns parents have about gender identity issues and policies in schools. Teachers, she explained, are expected to fulfill various roles in the classroom, such as acting as mediators between parents and children, serving as mentors, psychologists, and counselors to their students and parents. She emphasized the need for teachers to work overtime due to spending the majority of the workday with students and the necessity for time to plan lessons. She also shared her feelings of insecurity as an educator, citing school shooting incidents across the country as a source of fear. She described the intruder drills where young children have to hide in dark corners of the room and questioned how to explain such scenarios to a 6-year-old.

Although she recognizes the significance of the economy, Mies stresses that women’s rights, healthcare, and the imbalance in the Supreme Court are equally important issues.

Amber Ealy, 44, who attended the rally, echoes this sentiment. She believes that the right to abortion is the most crucial issue.

“I have a 4-year-old daughter, and it is unacceptable that she has fewer rights than I do,” she said, referring to the 2022 Supreme Court Roe v. Wade decision.

Ealy expects the Harris campaign to become more active in Georgia. She points out that Chatham County, where Savannah is located, has historically been a Democratic stronghold.

She is optimistic about seeing a shift from red to blue in neighboring counties across South Georgia.

“Georgia will turn blue,” she declared.