Florida retirees battle it out over Trump and Clinton
THE VILLAGES, Florida -- The Villages, north of Orlando, is a sprawling and tranquil community, home to 110,000 seniors and a bitter partisan divide.
Resident Linda Fogg is a retired, 61-year-old chemical engineer. Dale Kennedy, 67, used to be a mortgage broker.
When CBS News introduced these two lifelong Republicans, it did not go well.
“[Donald Trump] has alienated over 50 percent of the American electorate,” Fogg said.
“That is not true,” Kennedy replied. “Have you researched him?”
“Yeah I have. And that’s why I’m voting against him,” Fogg said.
By mail, Fogg voted for Hillary Clinton, her first vote ever for a Democrat.
When asked if she felt like a traitor to her party, Fogg said “No, I believe Donald Trump has been a traitor to the GOP.”
Fogg even started a club in The Villages: Republicans for Hillary.
“When we have a candidate at the top of the ticket that insults women, minorities, immigrants, our war heroes like John McCain, and mocks the disabled, this individual is not a candidate for president of the United States. I don’t believe he is qualified to lead anything,” Fogg said.
Kennedy is passionately pro-Trump.
“There is so much positive energy behind Donald Trump. He is definitely not a perfect person and he has said some stupid things, you know. But I have said stupid things. And every, every president we’ve ever had said stupid things,” she said.
While the “Access Hollywood” tape gave her momentary second thoughts, Kennedy said what attracts her most to Trump is his love for America.
“This man did not have to run for office. He didn’t need the ego strokes,” she said. “He wants to gets us back to our roots where we have morals in this country.”
“I believe he is far more trustworthy than Hilary Clinton. I wouldn’t trust her to go to the store for me,” Kennedy said. “She has lied to Congress, she has lied about Benghazi. She has lied about her emails.”
“Yes, there are some issues I have with Hillary Clinton,” Fogg said. “I believe that Hillary Clinton walks right up to the line of legality and kinda flirts with it and backs off. But we have had her under a microscope for decades and we have yet to find anything that we can lock her up for, as the Trump supporters would say.”
Fogg and Kennedy will both campaign for their candidates until Election Day. They drive around the community in golf carts, bearing campaign signs and slogans.
“I love riding around and having people honk at me,” Kennedy said. “And every once in a while, I get shot the bird.”
“And so do I,” Fogg replied.
Both women say they can live with whoever wins. The question is, can they live with each other?
