TOLEDO, Ohio —
President Joe Biden's debate performance has sparked conversations among voters and the Democratic Party about whether he's fit to serve another four years. Others have concerns regarding former President Donald Trump's felony convictions.
Toledo voters have mixed reactions when it comes to the two candidates.
"It would be better if we had better candidates on both sides," Shawn Russell, a Toledo resident said.
Russell said he is confident in Biden now, but he said he is unsure how the president would be in four years.
"I have concerns about Trump too, more than just age," Russell said.
Toledo resident Titus Daniels said Trump's background and charges are a concern for him.
Sam Nelson, a political analyst and political science professor at the University of Toledo, said voters should remember that they aren't just voting for the candidate.
"You're voting for their entire administration," Nelson said. "You're voting for Attorney General, Secretary of State, Secretary of Defense, something like 5000 appointed positions, all the federal judges, Supreme Court judges, appellate court judges that would be appointed."
The November election has received a lot of attention, but Nelson said people are not paying attention to the policies of each candidate.
"We're hardly talking at all about the stakes of the election," Nelson said. "What happens in a second Biden term versus what happens in a second Trump term? And, you know, I think voters should be weighing that a lot."
When it comes to a third-party candidate, Nelson said Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Is not on the ballots in enough states to become president. He is on the ballot in key battleground states, like Michigan, where he could alter the outcome of the election by pulling votes from either candidate.
"Donald Trump has lots of paths to win the presidency without Michigan," Nelson said. "Joe Biden needs Michigan. There's not a lot of pictures I can draw on the map that shows him a winning electoral college majority without Michigan, and so that's the risk to the Biden campaign."
