Until President Joe Biden dropped his bid for reelection, a large share of voters were unhappy with their choices for president.

Today, the electorate as a whole is happier, but the uncommitted voters are still not, according to recent polling by The New York Times and Siena College in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio and Wisconsin.

They trust neither former President Donald Trump nor Vice President Kamala Harris. They question the candidates’ honesty and ethics.

These voters are younger than the electorate overall, less educated and have a lower income. They are much more likely than voters overall to be Black or Latino, and a little more likely to be men.

Some of these voters may just stay home, but a meaningful portion of them will probably vote. And in a close election, they could be the deciding factor.

In trying to understand what is holding them back from committing, we asked voters to tell us in their own words about their worries. Their phrases were telling: “being a bully,” “she’s an idiot.”

In many ways, their words suggest that voters know, and perhaps have become inured to, Donald Trump’s slash-and-burn campaign style and personality.

But with Kamala Harris, who was plunged into the race only in July, their fears are wider ranging — encompassing both character and the issues, like the economy. And for some voters, the historic nature of her candidacy presents not progress but a drawback.

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Concern about Trump: “He’s made people comfortable with being racist and set the country back 50 years with racism.”

Concern about Harris: “She’s a liar and it feels like she hasn’t done anything she said she was going to do.”

Black woman, 50s, Arizona

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Concern about Trump: “Don’t like his rhetoric, how he speaks to people.”

Concern about Harris: “Incompetent, no experience in foreign policy or running the government; also has no opinions except on abortion.”

White woman, 70s, Wisconsin

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Concern about Trump: “Too extreme.”

Concern about Harris: “I don’t know much about her, but I’m unsure about how prepared she is to be president.”

Hispanic man, 30s, Arizona

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Concern about Trump: “Having the right to control my own body.”

Concern about Harris: “Immigration and inflation.”

Black woman, 20s, Georgia

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Concern about Trump: “Arrogance.”

Concern about Harris: “She’s a woman and not sure if a woman should be running.”

White woman, 50s, Arizona

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Concern about Trump: “Has felonies on his record.”

Concern about Harris: “Don’t know much about her policy.”

Black man, 50s, Georgia

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Concern about Trump: “I don’t trust him.”

Concern about Harris: “I don’t trust her.”

Black woman, 60s, Georgia

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Voters are concerned about one thing when it comes to Trump: his character.

They said he is arrogant or erratic and talks too much. They talked about his age or criminal trials. The words boiled down to concerns about the former president’s personality and honesty.

Even voters who said they were leaning toward Trump mentioned concerns about chaos and dysfunction.

A small but notable share were also concerned, specifically, about his ability to carry out and complete the tasks of president, mentioning his age and mental capacity.

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“Angered easily.” — White man, 40s, Michigan

“Being a bully towards other nations.” — White man, 60s, Georgia

“He is erratic, not very well-spoken and lies.” — White man, 40s, North Carolina

“Him staying off the internet.” — White man, 30s, Arizona

“Being presidential, sense of decorum, way he communicates.” — Man, 60s, Michigan

“Does not know when to shut up.”— White man, 20s, North Carolina

“His age.” — White woman, 20s, Wisconsin

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At the same time, even though Trump has crossed all kinds of red lines during his campaign, voters used comparatively mild language in describing their doubts about him. Words like “a bit” and “a little” crept in frequently.

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“Little power hungry.” — White woman, 30s, Arizona

“His authoritative tendencies.” — White man, 30s, North Carolina

“Probably his rhetoric, maybe, and how he presents himself. And the debate was kind of rough.” — Woman, 40s, Michigan

“Bit decisive at times. He doesn’t always say the right things.” — White man, 20s, Georgia

“I wish he could be a little more presidential.” — White woman, 70s, Arizona

“He might become too emotional when making decisions.” — Nonwhite man, 30s, North Carolina

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Concerns about Harris are more varied.

For Kamala Harris, voters’ anxieties were broader and more complicated. Although qualms about her personality came up less often than with Trump, trustworthiness and honesty were still big question marks for many voters.

So was her ability to handle the economy. Voters specifically mentioned costs and inflation, a persistent concern among undecided and not fully decided voters over the last few months.

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“She will make the economy worse than it is.” — Black man, 20s, Georgia

“That she’s like every other politician, that she is not going to actually do anything to help us.” — Black woman, 30s, Ohio

“Bring down the price of groceries and housing.” — Black woman, 60s, Georgia

“How she would handle the economy.” — Hispanic woman, 20s, Georgia

“Too liberal.” — Black woman, 50s, Michigan

“Not following through.” — White woman, 30s, Wisconsin

“The people didn’t vote for her; she was appointed. That is not democracy.” — White man, 60s, Wisconsin

“Democrats take the African American vote for granted. Not sure her policies are going to benefit African Americans.” — Black man, 30s, North Carolina

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They also questioned her abilities and wondered if she was ready for the job. Some voters described her with caustic language, which echoes Trump’s, who called her “mentally disabled” and “mentally impaired.”

Harris has not leaned into the historical nature of her candidacy — she would be the first woman of color to be president. For some of these voters, her background may be a challenge. Some voters used language that was outright sexist.

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“That she’s not intelligent enough to be president. I think she is an idiot.” — White man, 70s, Arizona

“I don’t think she’s got it all together.” — White woman, 70s, Arizona

“Overall untrustworthy.” — Black man, 40s, North Carolina

“She’s a woman. I’m not sure she can get the job done. People probably won’t listen to her.” — White woman, 50s, Ohio

“She’s a lady.” — Black woman, 60s, Wisconsin

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This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

By Ruth Igielnik and Christine Zhang
c. 2024 The New York Times Company