GREEN BAY, Wis. (WFRV) – Reaction is pouring in from Northeast Wisconsin voters after the presidential debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump on Tuesday night.
Local Five News visited two local debate watch parties, one hosted by Democrats and another hosted by Republicans.
At the Democratic Party of Brown County’s headquarters, ahead of the debate local candidates and surrogates fired up the crowd with short speeches on the importance of mobilizing voters.
Watch party organizers had ‘debate bingo boards’ for all attendees. The squares filled with negative words and phrases they anticipated that former president Donald Trump would use during the debate.
The lively crowd watching intently as Harris duked it out with Trump on the debate stage for the first time.
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“I just came to see how Kamala would do against a guy that I think is neurotic, crazy, and the Republican party shouldn’t be supporting him,” said Jack LeDuc from Allouez.
The stakes were perhaps higher for Democrats on Tuesday night, after a poor performance at the last presidential debate ultimately was a major factor in knocking Joe Biden out of the race.
Local Five News was at the Democratic Party of Brown County’s headquarters for that debate as well and observed that the mood on Tuesday night was much livelier than the one earlier in the summer when Biden was the one on the stage debating Trump.
Democratic voters saying they’re feeling much more confident now after watching Harris lay out her vision for America on the debate stage.
“(I like) the policies she’s standing for, what’s good for average Americans, voting for what the laws of the country are,” said LeDuc.
“(She has a) forward facing vision about a new way forward instead of the stale old shtick that Donald Trump has been running on for the last eight years,” said Democratic Party of Wisconsin chair Ben Wikler.
At a debate viewing party across town, a group of Republican voters have a much different opinion on Harris’ debate performance and her vision for America.
“Kamala doesn’t have any policies or plans that she’s speaking about,” said Troye Carter who is from Green Bay. “All she is doing is spewing lies, almost everything she says about Trump is a lie.”
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The Associated Press did do a fact check on the debate that can be read here.
“She was asked about her policies and why she has changed them time after time and all she can say is her values haven’t changed, but she’s not answering those specific questions and the American people deserve those answers,” said Eric Toney who is the district attorney for Fond du Lac County.
Republican voters said on Tuesday night that Donald Trump flexed his strong record on the economy, immigration, and fighting crime which they say are three issues that are most important to Northeast Wisconsinites.
“Myself like a lot of other Americans and Wisconsinites don’t always agree with how President Trump says it or what exactly he says,” said Toney. “But when we look at his policies those are things that so many people agree on. When people actually look at the policies of both candidates it’s not even close that President Trump’s policies are going to help turn the tide (for the country in a positive direction.”
Shortly after the debate ended, Local 5 News received emails from both campaigns claiming victory in the debate.
