Republican voters in Tennessee have showed up to vote for President Trump even though he faces no serious competition in the presidential primaries.
According to numbers from the Tennessee Secretary of State’s office, nearly as many Republicans cast ballots as Democrats during early voting.
Hunter Richardson, 56, was one of them. The Brentwood Republican feels voting is his duty, but also, he likes what Trump is doing. He said Republicans are energized.
“People are chatting about how much better things are than they were say four, five years ago,” Richardson said.
He said there’s one way Trump could lose in November 2020, and it doesn’t have to do with votes.
“I think if the economy were to turn in a bad direction that could (make) a difference,” Richardson said. “It seems like, historically, a president that is an incumbent with a good economy has never lost.”
And it’s not just older Tennesseans casting ballots for Trump. There are also the new voters — like 18-year-old twins Tyler and Tracy Roy of Thompson Station. They both voted early for the president.
“He’s improved the economy, employment rates are lower,” Tracy Roy said.
Her brother agrees.
“I mean he’s not perfect, but I just agree with more of his views than the other(s),” he said.
The siblings say they don’t have anything against Trump’s challenger, former Mass. Gov. Bill Weld, but they just didn’t know anything about him.
“It’s more lack of knowledge on the other candidates,” Tracy Roy said. “I just know more about Trump.”
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