DUNWOODY, Ga. 鈥 A small, but potentially remain undecided about the presidential election this fall, including in tossup Georgia. Just outside Atlanta, Cameron Lewellen, a father of three little kids, is one of them.
In 2020, Lewellen voted for Joe Biden. But four years prior, he cast his ballot for Donald Trump. And in the last election, he split his ticket between the Republican candidate for governor and the Democrat running for U.S. Senate. With early voting in 2024 a few weeks away, Lewellen has felt stuck.
鈥淭his is tough,鈥 he says.
Suburban voters like Lewellen have helped in this closely divided state, as some independents and disaffected Republicans drifted from their party in the Trump era. Metro Atlanta鈥檚 suburbs are also growing and becoming more diverse.
After Biden notched a win by just under 12,000 votes in Georgia, voters in 2022 Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock back to Washington and Republican Gov. Brian Kemp.
On Tuesday night, Lewellen tuned into the debate in an effort to help crystallize his choice this fall. Lewellen settled into a plush, cream couch across from a big screen TV and a spread of pizzas. On a scratch piece of paper, he wrote in permanent marker the names of the two candidates and drew a line down the middle for his notes.
Lewellen says he soured on Trump as his presidency grew so chaotic, he began to fear for the stability of government, especially after the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. At this point, Lewellen says he knows who Trump is, but sees Kamala Harris as more of a question mark. He has some serious reservations.
鈥淪he didn鈥檛 earn my vote,鈥 Lewellen says. 鈥淪he just was basically anointed because she was the vice president, second in charge.鈥
And while Lewellen felt Harris got off to a slow start in the debate, declining to directly answer a question on whether Americans were better off financially four years ago, he says he came away encouraged by her proposals to speed the construction of new homes and offer tax incentives for starting a small business. He also says he felt turned off when Trump did not offer any regrets about his conduct on Jan. 6.
鈥淎s I think about it, it makes me angry because I think that鈥檚 crap,鈥 Lewellen says. 鈥淭ake responsibility.鈥
And when Trump doubled down on his remarks about Harris鈥 race and identity, Lewellen says it stung.
鈥淚t鈥檚 offensive to a lot of us,鈥 Lewellen says. 鈥淏ecause you don鈥檛 wake up deciding to be Black. I鈥檓 an African American and I鈥檝e had people in the past, for me speaking the King鈥檚 English, ask, 鈥榃hy are you talking white?鈥 or whatever.鈥
His vote is coming into sharper focus
Lewellen says while he went into the debate leaning toward Trump, now he says he is more likely to vote for Harris. But he worries about the markets and interest rates and has been searching for a job for the last several months. He notes that the pace of . Finding something that fits his experience in health care and technology has been slow-going.
He says if the economy takes a turn for the worse this fall, he will reevaluate his vote again.
鈥淚 want a president that鈥檚 going to be really favorable to small business because that鈥檚 how I could ultimately leave a legacy for my family. But if you鈥檙e telling me we鈥檙e going to wake up sometime in October and have a 10% slide on the market, I don鈥檛 think Harris can run from that.鈥
Lewellen says it is frustrating when people press why he has not made up his mind yet. He says he has always valued carefully studying the issues and learning about a candidate鈥檚 policies. He thinks both candidates have upsides and drawbacks.
At first thought, Lewellen says the choice has not been gnawing at him. 鈥淵ou know, day to day, I think about my kids and what we鈥檙e going to eat and soccer games and baseball.鈥 But reflecting on the debate and the many topics he is thinking about, like conflicts abroad, abortion, affordability and democracy, he reconsidered.
鈥淚 guess it does weigh on me,鈥 he says.
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