In a market, in a neighborhood, in a city like this, the elections will be decided.
The Women's Market, located on the riverfront in Wilmington, is a showcase for the “women makers” of this coastal city in North Carolina.
The presidential election scheduled for November will affect the outcome in this swing state and in six other states like it, battlegrounds where the outcome is far from settled.
If Super Tuesday doesn't signal a change in the expected lineup, it will Donald Trump Reverse Joe Biden. They and their policies will dominate the next eight months, after having dominated the past eight years.
Explained: What is Super Tuesday?
At the Wilmington market, we talked about reproductive rights.
It's an issue at the heart of American electoral politics, and one that becomes more acute when Supreme Court justices appoint Trump Roe was overturned against Wade and restrict access to abortion nationwide.
That has pushed Democratic votes ever since, and Republicans have struggled at the ballot box — most notably in the 2022 midterms. What about 2024?
“Our rights are becoming more and more of an issue,” Anne Carbone said.
“Reproductive rights should be personal in the home and decided between the individuals concerned and the doctor involved, not a group of male politicians sitting in the respective houses of government.
“It's extreme. It's becoming more and more of a problem.”
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Anne Carbone
Reproductive rights are a major issue
Concerns are compounded by the Alabama Supreme Court casting doubt on IVF treatment, with a Ruling that fetuses are considered children.
“I suspect [reproductive rights] “It will be the only issue that will swing my vote,” Bethany Carpenter told us.
“Not everyone has to be like that, everyone is different, but for me that's definitely a deciding factor and something I've been paying kind of close attention to, especially when it comes to IVF.
“I'm definitely looking around different states, seeing what they're doing. I think things kind of start in pockets and then tend to spread out.”
Bethany Carpenter
Lori Wheeler offered a counterpoint. “I'm against abortion. That doesn't mean I'm against people having abortions,” she told Sky News.
“will [shape my vote]. It would make a difference to me if someone were to take office and say we should all be able to have abortions, he's completely open to that. “Yes, they won't get my vote.”
Lori Wheeler
The perfect storm for voters
It's not a single-issue election, of course. Immigration, the economy, foreign wars, and enemies are perennial themes that American voters play with.
Add an alleged threat to democracy, and it will be the perfect storm for voters.
The United States is experiencing an intense political cycle and its population is feeling it, agitated and divided.
This is often demonstrated when you ask members of the public to do an on-camera interview and people say, politely, that they can't because they “have to live here.”
It's by no means the response of all or even most people but it's something you hear a lot. It is the voice of politics as a hostile environment, where anyone can be the target of trench warfare.
Ariana Terry
“I have no idea who to vote for”
Will that change? The nation isn't holding its breath Ariana Terry certainly isn't.
The 19-year-old student from Virginia told us she wasn't sure where to cast her ballot in November.
“I'm part of the LGBTQ community and I just want to feel safe and I want to feel safe as a woman,” she said.
“I'm not a big supporter of either [Biden or Trump]. I have no idea who to vote for. Someone who will keep me safe.”
When asked if she thought it was a gift to potential presidential candidates, Ms. Terry said it was not.
“I think Donald Trump does not respect women,” she said. “Joe Biden does not control the country.”
It's a sad indictment from a first-time voter who lost faith in a system she barely found.
