The top issues in the North State this election?
It depends on who you ask.
For some Democrats, Tuesday’s midterms are being seen as a referendum on President Donald Trump, whose approval ratings, Reuters reports, are nearing a “career low.”
“Just be able to beat Donald Trump.”- Steve Irving, Chico resident
At a recent Chico town hall for Democratic state Sen. Mike McGuire, 70-year-old Steve Irving was among about 100 people in the crowd.
Irving said his main motivation to vote is simple.
“Just be able to beat Donald Trump,” he said.
For 82-year-old Susan Theodore, this election is about protecting democracy, which she believes Trump has undermined.
“I feel like our rights are being taken away, that we have no say in what's going on, that laws are not being upheld,” Theodore said.
“It just costs me more to buy groceries and all the necessities that I need.”- Ron Speed, Red Bluff resident
These voters see McGuire as a way to help Democrats take back the U.S. House of Representatives.
McGuire is challenging Republican Rep. James Gallagher in California’s First Congressional District, which was redrawn to favor Democrats under Proposition 50.
For some Republicans in the district, California’s high cost of living is a concern.
At a Gallagher meet-and-greet on Thursday in Red Bluff, 92-year-old Ron Speed said household costs are adding up.
“It just costs me more to buy groceries and all the necessities that I need,” Speed said.
Those everyday expenses are also extending to fuel prices.
Bob Ward, an 85-year-old conservative, said he’s feeling the pain at the pump.
“I got a diesel truck. It is what it is,” Ward said..
Still, Ward said voting for Republicans up and down the ballot is a priority.
Nationally, an NPR/PBS News/Marist poll released Oct. 27 found likely voters favored Democrats for Congress by eight points.
