(AFP) – Like many voters in the central US state of Nebraska, Kristin Benson, a 39-year-old stay-at-home mother, voted for Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election. But now, with just weeks to go before the key midterm elections in November, Benson says she hopes the Republican billionaire can find a way to end the war in Iran he launched alongside Israel in late February.
“I definitely don’t want years” of conflict, Benson told AFP while visiting the Nebraska State Fair with her family, adding that she still believed Trump was “not one to want to stay in it.” “I feel like if we can get out in the next year, that would be best.” A recent poll conducted by the University of Massachusetts Amherst showed that eight out of 10 Americans believe that the war with Tehran has sent the prices of gas and other household goods soaring. Fifty-five percent of respondents believe the war was a mistake.
And as Republicans fight to maintain control of Congress on November 3, even in the reliably red state of Nebraska, voters are fed up with the war in the Middle East — but may not be done with Trump just yet. “I’m ready for it to be over,” said Keir Albert, a 20-year-old cattle rancher who voted for Trump two years ago. “I mean, of course, not everybody’s excited about how fuel prices and stuff are going crazy. But I think what he’s doing with national security is important,” said Albert, who came to the state fair with his Longhorns. “I feel like he just supports our business, like business in general, a lot better than the other party.”
– ‘Waste of money’ – Nebraska, which has two million residents, is a Trump stronghold. In 2024, he earned nearly 60 percent of the vote there. Frustrations are nevertheless mounting over Iran. “It’s a waste of money,” said Pat Osiecki, a 65-year-old retired contractor. “Israel dragged us into this war, and it’s totally wrong that he followed Israel blindly. It’s cost us all money. Why are we the world’s police force?” “I don’t agree with Iran having nuclear weapons, but why is it us to up to us to say no?” added Osiecki, who had come to a cafe in his hometown Arapahoe to listen to Dan Osborn, an independent running for the US Senate in Nebraska.
– ‘It hurts at the pump’ – Back at the state fair, Sheryl Bach, a 77-year-old retired administrative clerk who worked at a dam, said she did not vote in the 2024 presidential contest between Trump and Democrat Kamala Harris. “Did not like the candidates. Still do not,” she explained. When asked what she thinks of Trump’s second term in the White House, Bach gave it a thumbs down. As for the war in Iran, she said she believed it never should have been started, and added: “I don’t think we’re going to gain a lot out of it.” Bach also said: “I don’t know if there is a fix for it now.”
Other Nebraskans said they felt a bit detached from the entire war issue. “I don’t really have a strong opinion of it either way. I guess I just leave that to the guys that know what they’re doing,” said Crystal Smith, a 46-year-old taxidermist. Smith, who said she’d come to the fair to pet the animals, lamented that consumer prices were sky-high, adding: “It hurts at the pump.” “I definitely wish it would end, but there’s got to be a reason that we’re doing what we’re doing, right?”
– Robin LEGRAND
© 2024 AFP
