NEW: ‘I’m Going to Vote for Donald Trump’

(TheIndependentStar.com) – Driven by alarming concerns over the economy and immigration issues under the Biden-Harris administration, a long-time Democrat voter from Michigan told a BBC reporter that he is voting for GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump this year.

Despite traditionally voting Democrat, Simpkins feels economically crushed.

“I’m going to vote for Donald Trump this year. I am typically a Democrat, I voted Democrat every year until Trump ran for office this year and in the past, I voted for Trump,” Tommy Simpkins told the reporter.

“The reasons have been economical primarily. Three and a half years ago, I made more money, I paid less taxes, gas prices were cheaper. Now, everything has tripled, including grocery prices,” he explained.

Simpkins highlighted how his expenses have soared, with an example of a Subway sandwich doubling in price.

“I can go to Subway to get a seven-dollar sandwich, I had six inches now, it used to be half that price, three dollars,” he explained. “So, everything’s doubled. My grocery prices doubled.”

Broader economic data reflect Simpkins’ thoughts: prices have increased 20% since January 2021, and the Consumer Price Index (CPI) peaked at 9% by June 2022.

Some economic experts blame the surge in prices and inflation on the government’s spending initiatives like the American Rescue Plan.

Additionally, Simpkins is worried about immigration policies, citing an influx of illegals.

“I’m concerned about the border,” he stated. “We’ve let millions of people in, lot of criminals, etc. The border needs to be shut down to where we only bring in those individuals that go through the legal process.”

Since Joe Biden took office in 2021, over 7 million illegals have entered the U.S., as per reports from Customs and Border Protection.

In the broader political landscape, Kamala Harris narrowly leads Trump in Michigan by 1.7%, a margin that slightly expands to 1.8% when third-party candidates are included in the polling.

According to RealClearPolling, Harris’ lead over Trump is 1.9% nationally, growing to 2.1% with third-party candidates factored in.