Ogdensburg, N.Y. voters offer their perspectives on the U.S. election
The U.S. presidential election is one week away, and residents of Ogdensburg, N.Y., a small port city along the St. Lawrence Seaway across the border from eastern Ontario, are preparing to make their voices heard.
- Sign up now for daily CTV News Ottawa newsletters
- The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App
The race is tight between former president Donald Trump and current Vice President Kamala Harris, with many polls suggesting a close outcome. Across the United States, more than 50 million have already cast their ballot, a record in many states.
In this community of about 10,000 residents, politics may be divisive, but a group of residents choose to avoid the subject, particularly on the pickleball court.
"We come out and play pickleball every morning for two hours. We're just a group of friends, retired friends, and this is our exercise, and we call it coffee club without the coffee," says Becky Akins, one of the regular players.
"We talk about our children, our grandchildren, about everything except politics and that's how we remain such good friends."
But it doesn't mean some residents aren't clear about who they’re supporting. Early voting has opened and on Tuesday, Dora McIntosh, along with Donna and Keith Edick, came to finalize their electoral decision.
"I'm for Trump," said McIntosh, who like her friends, say the same.
"He [Trump] produces what he says, he brings forth what his mouth opens and says what he does," said Donna. "This place right now in the last four years has gone right down the tubes. We were starting to feel like true Americans for those four years Trump was in. He wasn't in long enough."
Ogdensburg, along with the entire Saint Lawrence County, has about 60,000 registered voters and has remained a stronghold for the GOP since 2016. In the 2020 election, Trump got nearly 55 per cent of the vote in the county, according to CNN.
CTV News spoke to residents of Ogdensburg for over three hours on Tuesday, but did not find a Harris supporter who would speak on camera.
"When Trump was president, the economy was way better, gas prices were better and especially food costs too," said Keith.
Others in the town see this election as an opportunity for historic change.
"Just to have a first woman president, that means a lot," said Wendy Morley, who suggests residents here, are split on the vote, much like the outcome of the presidential election.
"I am voting for Donald Trump. I think the Democrats have shown that they only put Kamala Harris up there because Biden couldn't and they didn't have anyone else."
While New York is expected to vote widely for Harris, the state is home to a handful of competitive congressional races that could determine which party controls the House next year.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canada expands list of banned firearms to include hundreds of new models and variants
The Canadian government is expanding its list of banned firearms, adding hundreds of additional makes, models and their variants, effective immediately.
Could the discovery of an injured, emaciated dog help solve the mystery of a missing B.C. man?
When paramedic Jim Barnes left his home in Fort St. John to go hunting on Oct. 18, he asked his partner Micaela Sawyer — who’s also a paramedic — if she wanted to join him. She declined, so Barnes took the couple’s dog Murphy, an 18-month-old red golden retriever with him.
The world has been warming faster than expected. Scientists now think they know why
Last year was the hottest on record, oceans boiled, glaciers melted at alarming rates, and it left scientists scrambling to understand exactly why.
The latest: Water bottle, protein bar wrapper may help identify shooter in UnitedHealthcare CEO's killing
The masked gunman who stalked and killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson used ammunition emblazoned with the words 'deny,' 'defend' and 'depose,' a law enforcement official said Thursday. Here's the latest.
7.0 earthquake off Northern California prompts brief tsunami warning
A 7.0 magnitude earthquake shook a large area of Northern California on Thursday, knocking items off grocery store shelves, sending children scrambling under desks and prompting a brief tsunami warning for 5.3 million people along the U.S. West Coast.
Saskatoon based dog rescue operator ordered to pay $27K for defamatory Facebook posts
A Saskatoon based dog rescue operator has been ordered to pay over $27,000 in damages to five women after a judge ruled she defamed them in several Facebook posts.
Pete Davidson, Jason Sudeikis and other former 'SNL' cast members reveal how little they got paid
Live from New York, it's revelations about paydays on 'Saturday Night Live.'
Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim admits to being 'orange pilled' in Bitcoin interview
Bitcoin is soaring to all-time highs, and Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim wants the city to get in on the action.
Man wanted for military desertion turns himself in at Canada-U.S. border
A man wanted for deserting the U.S. military 16 years ago was arrested at the border in Buffalo, N.Y. earlier this week.