FREDERICKSBURG, Va. — In a divisive political world where an election loss can be closely scrutinized, supporters who voted for President-elect Donald Trump viewed him simply as the answer to ease their wallets.
There are several other issues important to his voters, but in races across the board, the economy -- which included inflation and jobs -- resonated the most.
The owner of Paradise Diner in Stafford County said inflation costs affected his business. He was enthusiastic and hopeful about Trump’s return to the White House.
“I’m so happy!” owner David Hanna said. “You see the disastrous economy the last few years?”
Another issue he gravitated towards is securing the southern border.
“We have to control our border,” Hanna added. “We have to see how many people are entering, how many criminal people are entering, and we have to see everything under control.”
At the same restaurant, Mana Iskander said her focus was on her children. She worries about gender-related issues in schools and believes Trump could curb that.
“We’re all looking at the kids’ future and we don’t need suffering,” Iskander said. “We need to raise our kids with a lot of peace and love.”
Iskander said she felt Vice President Kamala Harris didn’t provide enough to sway anyone’s vote.
“She doesn’t say anything,” she added. “She doesn’t answer any questions.”
Meanwhile, Joel Madrid said he supports Trump on several things, but specifically on the issue of abortion.
“All of my family, we’re very religious,” Madrid said. “We chose Donald Trump because he put life first. He’s a very good person.”
Political experts say Trump’s vision of American under threat resonated with a lot of suburban county voters in Virginia, including ones who may have supported the key Democratic issue of abortion.
“You really do see a scenario where a lot of people felt like they could take care of the abortion question I think on the referendum or legislative side and vote for Trump based on other matters of high importance to them,” Dr. Stephen Farnsworth of University Mary-Washington said.
Similar to other states, Harris underperformed in Northern Virginia compared to President Joe Biden in 2020. She won Loudoun County, but is below by six points compared to Biden’s. It was a similar case in Prince William County.
Trump won Spotsylvania County with two more percentage of the votes than in 2020, which is about the same in Fauquier County.
Even in Democratic-heavy Fairfax County, Trump went from 28% of the vote in 2020 to 32% this year. Biden won with 70% in 2020 while Harris won with 65%.
Farnsworth said Virginia again becoming a battleground state in the future isn’t out of the realm.
“The claim that Virginia was no longer a purple state was exaggerated,” Farnsworth said. “The results here, the closeness of the presidential election, the closer than expected outcome in the U.S. Senate race, those demonstrate the opportunities Republicans continue to have in Virginia. I think the circumstances suggest that we're looking at a competitive environment for the governor's race next year and our electoral votes might get a lot more attention four years from now than they did this cycle.”