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Dana Gums of Eagle Lake isnt a typical 2020 voter. Shes uncertain how she will vote in the Nov. 3 presidential election.

I am this year, Gums said. Usually, Im pretty set. You need to be super-educated, and thats a long way away. A lot can happen between now and then.

A Marine Corps veteran, Gums said, Im not a Democrat but that doesnt mean President Donald Trump will definitely get her vote.

Shes undecided going into this years general election and plans to spend the next seven months getting informed about the candidates. Gums wishes more people were going into the election with an open mind, open to new ideas.

I am in the minority. I think thats how everybody should be.

Of the people interviewed by The Free Press earlier this month, Gums was clearly in the minority. Most voters, even with uncertainty about who the Democratic Party will ultimately nominate, are already locked in.

Jan Bentdahl, a Republican from Mankato, turned out to vote in the presidential primary even though Trump was the only name on the GOP ballot.

Its my duty to vote.

Hes livid with the Democrats impeachment proceedings against the president. The other side, they waste a lot of tax money. Its a big circus on the Democrat side.

Bentdahl said he would tell any voters still on the fence about which partys candidate to vote for that they must stick with Trump, To keep the change going. To keep America great.

He said Democratic candidates who pushed a democratic socialist agenda have frightened independents. Dont mess with the socialist stuff. The country would go to hell.

I see a lot of independents going with Trump.

Bentdahl, 70, who served in the Army and Air Force, credits Trump with doing a lot for the military. He said he originally was skeptical of a billionaire with no elected experience.

But he is promises made, promises kept.

Bentdahl, who along with his wife havent left their house since March 7, believes Trump has been dealing well with the coronavirus pandemic.

I think hes trying to do the best he can with all the help he can get. I think a lot of companies are doing what they can do to help.

Bentdahl also credits Democratic Gov. Tim Walz for his performance.

I think hes done a pretty good job handling it. Hes activated the Guard. I think hes doing the best he can with what he can do.

Bentdahl believes Democrats in Congress slowed efforts to get needed help to small businesses and others suffering economically. And he thinks their actions will further erode support for Democrats going into Novembers elections.

Congress has to get their act together.

Donna Drganc, a retiree from Eagle Lake, is drawn to the moderate wing of the Democratic Party. She likes former Vice President Joe Biden and liked Pete Buttigieg but ultimately supported Michael Bloomberg, based on his record as mayor of New York City.

Why not Sen. Bernie Sanders? Because I dont want to be a socialist.

But, even without her first-choice candidate and without knowing for certain who will be running against Trump, Drganc is not even remotely considering the possibility of casting a ballot for the president.

No. Oh, no. No, no, no. Im voting blue no matter who it is. Donald Trump is an embarrassment.

Asked what message she would send to undecided voters, Drganc said the nation needs relief from a bad president undeserving of another four years in the White House.

Oh God. You dont have enough paper, Im sorry. He doesnt know what hes doing, he doesnt listen to the people who do know what theyre doing, he thinks he knows better than the generals and the scientists, he puts people around himself that are dumb, hes just in it for himself, hes just a mess, hes a racist, hes a sexist. ...

Like Drganc, Jen Cucurullo of Mankato wont have the opportunity to vote for the candidate she thought would make the best president. Originally an Amy Klobuchar fan, Cucurullo voted for Elizabeth Warren in the primary after Klobuchar dropped out.

Regardless of the Democratic nominee, she hopes undecided voters search their conscience and vote against Trump: At the end of the day my values and ethics dont align with what (Trump) says and does.

I wouldnt want my family and friends to be treated like he treats people.

If Matt Rausch gets a chance to share his views with a wavering voter in the presidential election, hell talk about why they should support a second term for Trump even if they arent a fan of his personality.

He didnt get hired to be a nice person, Rausch said. He got hired to drain the swamp and get things done. Youre hired to do a job.

Jennifer Thomas

Jennifer Thomas, a radiology technician assistant, has no issue with Trumps personality.

I feel like he doesnt hide what he believes in, Thomas said. I believe he has a big heart for what America needs and that he has our best interests at heart.

She thinks some people dislike the real estate mogul because of his success, but the Eagle Lake resident has been impressed by him for years.

I liked him before he was president, she said. I know hes rich and wealthy, and they get a bad rap for taking care of themselves. But I just like his personality in general.

Thomas hopes other Americans will take the time to research candidates and their policy positions in the months ahead: They have to evaluate all the information thats out there and not let CNN dictate what theyll believe in and acquire all of the facts. That will require a little bit of homework.

Rausch, an automotive technician in Mankato, would discourage independent voters from supporting any Democratic candidate.

From what Ive watched from the debates, the Democratic Party doesnt know left from right. Theyre all kind of socialists to me.

More government control and higher taxes would undermine the countrys future, according to Rausch, who said evidence is provided by history.

Socialism in general always ends badly. Its upended a lot of stuff too much government control. The tax thing is a really big thing. We started out as a free country. Thats what we stand for.

While Rausch puts all of the Democratic candidates in the socialist category, several Democrats differentiated between Sanders and more moderate candidates.

I see stability and a common-sense person in Joe Biden, Mankato Democrat Merri Jo Miller said. And I see the good in him. We need change.

Miller listed health care and the economy as top issues, both things she believes the Democratic nominee can better handle than Trump.

Im a middle-of-the road person. I think itd be harder to sway people if (it was) Sanders. Hes just too liberal.

Matt Houselog of Eagle Lake, who voted in the primary election with his wife, didnt say who his preferred candidate is, but he wants someone as far from the extremes as possible.

We think this may be more important than ever, Houselog said of the 2020 presidential election. ... And our main goal would be a little more country-unification.

Neither said who they support, but Houselog is bothered by the divisions in America: Thats putting it mildly. ... A leader that wouldnt be so far left or right and could maybe get some things done throughout the tenure.

Sanders supporter Robert Pierce of Eagle Lake doesnt buy the argument that Sanders cant do well with a broader set of voters.

I disagree with that, Pierce said. I think hed be fine.

A technical support worker, he expects to vote for the Democratic nominee even if it isnt Sanders: It will probably be out of obligation, I guess. Im definitely still voting (in November). Its just a matter of how excited you are.

Asked what he would say to undecideds, Pierce doubts that there are many interested Americans who have failed to form a strong opinion about Trump.

Id say all three of the people who havent made up their mind probably arent going to vote, he said.

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Pulse of the voters: Local Democrats, Republicans make their pitch to the (very few) folks on the fence - Mankato Free Press