How will switch at top of Democratic ticket affect undecided voters? Chicago area experts weigh in
ORLAND PARK, Ill. (CBS) -- Many of the nation's Democrats have reacted positively to President Biden stepping aside as the party's nominee and endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris for the nomination—but how does the change impact undecided voters, especially women, who have made the difference in years past?
Experts said Harris has a unique opportunity to appeal to undecided voters—but former President Donald Trump does too.
Southwest suburban Orland Park was split down the middle for the 2020 election. Experts said voting patterns could change there as a result of a change at the top of the ballot.
With 74.4% of registered voters turning up in Orland Park in 2020, a total of 48% cast their ballots for Mr. Biden, 51% for then-President Trump.
"The question for the Harris campaign is going to be, can you resonate differently?" said Alvin Tillery a Democratic pollster and professor of political science at Northwestern University.
Tillery noted that Illinois is a "solidly blue state," where the overall voting patterns are not expected to change—but communities such as Orland Park could reflect the small percentage of undecided voters.
Undecided female voters have been the subject of much attention, but Tillery said there are other groups to take a look at in this time of flux.
"This election is going to come down to can Kamala Harris convince Black voters under 40—particularly Black men—and Latino voters under 40 to give the Biden-Harris campaign, or her campaign, a second look," Tillery said.
Tillery said the true undecided vote isn't big right now. This was echoed by Dr. Suzanne Chod, a political science professor at North Central College.
"We've become so much more wedded to our party over time," Chod said. "The data suggests there's maybe 6% of the population that truly don't know for whom they are going to vote, or maybe go back and forth between party."
Chod pointed out while the abortion debate could divide voters—and send some to the polls—it is actually not the hottest-button issue when it comes to women, and not just women who still consider themselves undecided.
"Inflation and household expenses is the most important issue to them," Chod said. "That's what's driving votes across groups."
Chod also pointing out that the group of voters who didn't plan to vote for either candidate could also be up for grabs—particularly after President Biden lost support from young voters and voters of color over his handling of the conflict in Gaza.
"For those voters, maybe—who were staunch Democratic voters but were thinking, 'Maybe I'm not going to vote at all,' she has the ability to distance herself a bit from the unpopular policies of the Biden administration and stake out a position on her own of if she takes office in January—what she might do that's different from what President Biden has done before," Chod said.
Tillery also said the remaining undecided voters might also change their minds depending on what they learn.
"A lot of these undecided voters? It comes down to information," he said. "They tend to be low-information voters—sometimes single-issue voters—and they can be easily swayed when we get closer to the election."
CBS News Chicago talked to people different parts of the village of Orland Park, and did not find any voters who consider themselves undecided—let alone undecided and willing to talk about why.
