Ogdensburg, N.Y. voters offer their perspectives on the U.S. election

Ogdensburg, N.Y. -

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.

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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.