Undecided voters in the key battleground state of Pennsylvania gave sharp criticisms of Vice President Kamala Harris in a focus group this week, calling her "unqualified" to be president and "insincere" in her policy positions.
The eight swing state voters gave their honest opinions on both presidential candidates in a focus group livestreamed and moderated by political analyst Mark Halperin on his YouTube channel, 2WAY, on Thursday.
Two of the voters said they voted for President Biden or Hillary Clinton in the past two presidential elections, and two of the voters said they voted for President Trump in 2016 and 2020.
When asked by Halperin to give "one or two words" they "most associate with Vice President Harris," the voters said these words: "unqualified, "unexceptional," "graceful and positive," "loyal," "insincere," "totally unqualified," "unqualified," and "unprincipled."
When asked the same question of former President Trump, the voters responded, "aggressive," "unacceptable," "courageous and business-minded," "strong," "arrogant," "determined to create a legacy," "strong," and "narcissistic."
Voters listed their different concerns, among them foreign policy, health care, and other issues, that gave them pause from supporting either candidate, with just a few days to go until the November 5 election.
However, nearly every one in the group agreed that Harris was not clear in explaining her policy positions.
"The Vice President hasn't been in the race for very long, and a lot of people don't know much about her as compared to how much they know former President Trump," Halperin said. "Raise your hand if you understand her positions," he told the group.
Only one voter raised their hand.
"What positions?" one man scoffed.
After Halperin asked the voter who raised his hand to explain how he'd learned about the vice president's positions, he admitted his response was "a little bit tongue-in-cheek."
"Because I'm pretty sure her positions on everything is whatever is expedient at the moment and they're non-positions," he responded, clarifying that he's been monitoring closely all the town halls and interviews from each candidate and "taking notes" to see what was consistent in Harris' policies.
As the election draws near, both candidates are working to shore up votes in a battleground blitz. Trump rallied supporters in Novi, Michigan and State College, Pennsylvania on Saturday, while Harris held a get-out-the-vote rally with former first lady Michelle Obama in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
In Halperin's panel, six of the eight voters said they believed that Trump was "fighting harder" than Harris was to win Pennsylvania voters, while two voters from the group said both candidates were making equal efforts in their state.
