Latest Harris-Trump poll highlights danger for former president in Florida

Voices of voters

Independent voter Janie Brookbank, 72, is eager to cast her ballot for Harris. Brookbank is a retired small business owner who was born in Michigan, spent much of her adult life in California and moved to Florida a decade ago, settling in Dunedin. She is active in voter registration efforts with the League of Women Voters.

Brookbank said she was once a registered Republican and admires Republicans such as U.S. Sen. Mitt Romney but no longer identifies with the party. She strongly opposes Trump and supported his Democratic opponents in 2016 and 2020.

"He’s mean. He’s cruel. He treats woman badly. He lies. He cheats. There is not one cell of that man that I can respect, nothing. He’s abysmal," Brookbank said of Trump.

While not enthusiastic to vote for Biden, Brookbank was prepared to support him to keep Trump away from the White House. She is much more excited about Harris. Never a big fan of the vice president, Brookbank has been impressed with her performance since Biden dropped out.

“She’s a force, she has energy, she can put a little fear into opponents," Brookbank said of Harris.

Ocala resident Barbara Oppenheimer, 79, also had harsh words for Trump, saying he is coming across "like a dictator."

She was particularly upset after a mob of Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 to try and overturn the 2020 election results.

“I thought that wasn’t right," said Oppenheimer, a Republican. "He encouraged these people to do it and that shouldn’t have happened."

Abortion rights also are important to Oppenheimer, and she doesn't believe Trump will protect them. Florida has an amendment on the ballot this year that would put abortions protections in the state constitution.

Oppenheimer voted for Trump in 2020, saying "I wanted to give him a chance." She plans to vote for Kennedy this time. Harris is "OK," she said, and would make a good president but she likes the Kennedy family. (Most of Kennedy's relatives have come out against his candidacy .)

While there still is plenty of anti-Trump sentiment in Florida, the former president also has a strong group of supporters. Retired Clearwater physician Dr. David Pittenger, 86, is one of them.

Pittenger cited illegal immigration and inflation as among his biggest concerns and says he likes Trump's approach to these issues. Harris "hasn't done anything," said Pittenger, who moved to Florida in 2010 from Missouri.

"She says she's for the small people but she hasn't done anything to show she is for the average man," he said.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Latest Harris-Trump poll highlights danger for former president in Florida