Who’ll Get Your Vote

Eugene may be in our name, but believe it or not, Eugene Weekly covers all of Lane County and sometimes even statewide issues.

The past few editions of the “person-on-the-street” interviews about the 2020 presidential election have focused on the Eugene community, so this time EW decided to cross the freeway and hear what the fine citizens of Springfield have to say.

As usual, our question was, “If the 2020 presidential election were held today, who would you vote for and why?” Springfield had quite a bit to say on the topic.

Jon Walberg, 52
maintenance worker

“Well only [Donald] Trump. I might not like everything he has to say — a lot of it is abrasive — but I like his stand on getting America back on its feet by keeping people working in the state and in the country. I’m a conservative-minded kind of guy. I’m the kind of guy who believes if you want something, get off your ass and go get it. Don’t expect it to be handed to you.”

Shawn Bailey, 45
press operator:

“I’ll stick with Trump. The economy is up and everything else. I mean, that’s just my thoughts. I just think there needs to be a lot of changes and the changes have come really quick. The media kind of makes it worse than what it is half the time.”

Rhonda Meier, 67
retired

“I would vote for Trump because I feel like the things he’s done for the economy have been great. I just retired this last year and what he did for my 401k has been fabulous. This is the first year I didn’t owe a bunch of taxes, so he’s really helped me, being on a fixed income. He’s got a lot of the laws that have already been in effect but now we’re going by them — I like that. But whoever wins, I back.”

Frankie Nyquist, 37
billing

“Bernie [Sanders] all the way. He’s logical, he’s practical — though I think he’s evolved since the last election. Politics have changed. Trump has changed things, and we have to evolve to meet the times.”

David Camaro, 41
car-lot owner/ dealer

“Bernie. There’s a lot, but for me, a main issue is facial recognition, which he’s against. I feel like facial recognition is going to become a problem in our society. And also, they’re trying to do live Google Earth and I don’t believe people should be able to be tracked with live software. Most people don’t know that. That’s something you probably won’t hear from anyone else.”

Yue Ma, 50
accountant

“I’ll say Trump. I think he brought the American economy back from the eight years before. His policies, some I agree with and some I don’t, but there is no perfect president, but I’m just looking for a good American economy.”

Robert Steinmeier, 56
mechanic

“I’m voting for Trump again. But he isn’t a politician so he can’t get anything done in the White House. I’m tired of the politicians, though, so he’s getting my vote. He’s not perfect, and I don’t agree with everything he does, but you’re never going to have that, so you make the best of a bad situation, and Trump’s the only one I think is capable of running it.”

Taylor Cantrell, 28
technical producer/ KEZI

“I’d vote for Tulsi Gabbard, honestly. I was one of the people that saw it as ‘Trump is going to mess up the system,’ which I was totally down for, but not this messed up. I like a lot of what she has to say and how she’s held people accountable, like Kamala Harris. I would like someone who can project an air of being strong, mentally — kind of like we assumed Trump would be able to do but has since become unhinged. I feel like she’s strong, mentally, and she’ll follow through with her policies.”

A Note From the Publisher

Dear Readers,

The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.

That’s because of you!

Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.

Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.

We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.

And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.

None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.

As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.

Thank you for standing with us!