Republicans and Democrats from Lee County speak out ahead of presidential debate

FORT MYERS, Fla. – The historic presidential debate drew people across Southwest Florida.

Fox 4’s Bella Line spoke to both the Lee County Democrats and Republican parties ahead of the debate to get their predictions.

From immigration to inflation, people from both sides of the political spectrum were excited about today’s debate…in the midst of a historic election cycle.

Check out Bella’s full report below.

Republicans and Democrats from Lee County speak out ahead of presidential debate

Given the polarization this election campaign has already generated, people in downtown Fort Myers told our Fox 4 crews they were expecting a great show.

“Oh, I think there’s going to be a fight,” said Miguel Hill, a downtown Fort Myers resident.

Bella Line: “What fight? What do you think will happen?”

“They will definitely have a verbal argument and there will be some insults thrown around. It will be interesting to watch,” Hill said.

Trump and Harris took the stage and immediately began discussing topics that many of those we spoke to were looking forward to.

“I’ve had no inflation, virtually no inflation. You’ve had perhaps the highest inflation in the history of our country, because I’ve never seen a worse period of time,” said former President Donald Trump.

“I promise you, if Congress passes legislation to restore the protections of Roe v. Wade, as President of the United States, I will proudly sign it and sign it into law,” said current Vice President Kamala Harris.

The question remains, however, whether this debate was enough to convince voters who may still be undecided.

“This is your chance to find out who she really is, listen to her and find out where she stands on certain issues. So yes, I think this could have a big impact on younger voters,” said Jim Rosinus, chairman of the Lee County Democrats.

“It could potentially sway some people in the middle,” said Tara Jenner, vice chair of the Lee County Republicans. “Depending on how he presents himself and whether she giggles and looks like a schoolgirl who doesn’t know what she’s talking about, that could potentially sway some people. Especially if they’re focused on the economy, border security and immigration.”

As November approaches, your team of Fox 4 community correspondents will bring you the latest news on national and local racing.