Note: This report is based on interviews with undecided voters conducted by CNHI journalists in eight states that collectively account for 101 electoral votes: Indiana, Pennsylvania, Ohio, New Hampshire, Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota and Michigan. We will check back with these voters throughout the final weeks of the election season.
The presidential candidates' plans to fix the economy are nearly twice as important to undecided voters as their plans for the war in Iraq, according to a CNHI News Service survey of swing voters in eight battleground states.
Of 36 undecided voters interviewed during the last week and a half, 30 listed the economy as one of three major concerns, and 18 said it was their most pressing. Just 16 undecided voters listed the war in Iraq as one of their top issues, though five mentioned other foreign policy or defense-related concerns.
Duane Roberts, a 29-year-old entrepreneur from Johnstown, Pa., said he is worried about the economy and how the government will pay for a $700 billion economic relief packaged passed by Congress last week.
"Where is the money going to come from, because I really don't have much more to give?" said Roberts, who is single and makes less than $40,000 a year. "I've given about all I can give. To be honest with you, I need a little bit of it back."
Roberts describes himself as a conservative who is "totally undecided" between Republican Sen. John McCain and Democratic Sen. Barack Obama. The Air Force veteran listed the candidates' positions on the war as the third most important issue in the race.
With the Nov. 4 election just four weeks away, the McCain and Obama campaigns are intensely focusing on so-called "swing voters" like Roberts. Such undecided voters represent as many as 8 percent of likely voters, according to recent national polls.
CNHI reporters and editors fanned out to talk to some of those voters about the candidates and the issues that will influence their decisions. The voters range in age from 18 to 80 and represent a variety of education and income levels, family backgrounds and political ideologies. Slightly more than half are women.
The survey took place in eight states, many of which - such as Ohio, New Hampshire, Indiana, Pennsylvania and Missouri - are closely contested between the campaigns. Polls show Obama with a growing lead in the others: Minnesota, Iowa and Michigan.
Twenty voters said the candidates' ages -- McCain is 72, Obama 47 -- will not affect the election's outcome, though several said McCain's seniority made his choice of a running mate that much more important.
Charles Nestell, of Omena, Mich., said he worries McCain’s health might not hold up for a four-year White House term. "That's why I kind of want to know more about who Sarah Palin is and her own individual ideas, instead of the rhetoric," Nestell said of the Alaska governor joining McCain on the Republican ticket.
More than two-thirds of the voters said they believe race relations have progressed enough that the United States is ready to elect its first black president. However, some expressed concern about Obama’s safety should he win that distinction.
"There are some sick people out there, and they've already been in the news," said Kimberly McKerchie, 29, of Traverse City, Mich. "I fear for him and his little girls."
Four out of five voters said they do not believe Palin's gender will affect the election.
"I want a leader, and I don't care if they're black, white, female, Democrat or Republican," said Anson Burlingame, 66, of Joplin, Mo. "I want a real leader that's going to knock that stuff off and reach down to the strengths of America and bring them to the surface and move forward."
Burlingame, a retired Navy submarine commander and conservative Republican, said he is more interested in traits such as character and leadership than candidates' positions on issues. Other undecided voters cited honesty and integrity as traits they seek in a candidate.
Voters such as Nichole Boruta, 18, of Geneva, Ohio, said they are more concerned about the candidates’ plans to right the economy. Boruta, a high school senior, plans to vote for the first time this fall.
"I will be going to college soon, and I will need financial aid, so it is kind of scary," she said. "The economy and national credit and lending issues are right in my face right now, so economy and education are important. ... What is going to happen to a generation of people looking to apply for financial aid for college?”
Sandy Quarles, 72, owner of Sandy Janitorial Service in Kokomo, Ind., said such concerns will transcend gender, age and race during this election. The weight of the economy’s problems, he said, should cause the candidates to set aside typical politics, as well.
"Because we're in a mess," said Quarles, a black Republican who describes his views as liberal-conservative. "I think this is the worst mess we've been in since 1929."
Reporting by staffs of The Tribune Democrat of Johnstown, Pa.; The Joplin, Mo., Globe; The Eagle-Tribune of North Andover, Mass.; the Record-Eagle of Traverse City, Mich.; Mankato, Minn., Free Press; Kokomo, Ind., Tribune; The Star Beacon of Ashtabula, Ohio; Ottumwa, Iowa, Courier; and the Oskaloosa, Iowa, Herald.
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