3 things we learned from voters watching the Trump-Clinton debate | McClatchy Washington Bureau

On Monday night, the Charlotte Observer and the McClatchy Washington Bureau recruited 21 Charlotte-area voters to watch the first Hillary Clinton-Donald Trump debate together and then talk about it.

As the moderators, here are 3 things we learned from this diverse group, which had varying reactions.

1. Republican-leaning voters looking for a Trump alternative didn’t hear Clinton speaking to them.

Kae Roberts and Jay Eardly each voted for Republican Mitt Romney in 2012. But this year, turned off by Trump’s brash style and controversial comments, both said they were leaning to Democrat Clinton as the first presidential debate began at 9 p.m.

But by the time it ended 90-plus minutes later, she’d lost them.

Instead of wooing disaffected Republicans and GOP-leaning independents by moving to the center, Clinton played all night to voters on the left who helped elect and re-elect President Barack Obama. She needs to energize what’s been called the Obama coalition – liberals, minorities, young people and college-educated women – if she hopes to keep the Democrats’ winning streak alive in 2016.

But Eardly and Roberts, both registered as unaffiliated, were put off by much of what Clinton said.

“I don’t like the idea of (higher taxes) for the wealthy ... and the liberal-progressive tax plans she has,” Eardly said. “And I thought she was very weak on security and ISIS.”

Roberts dismissed much of Clinton’s liberal agenda as “pie in the sky” and found herself more attracted to Trump’s “business perspective.”

2. Voters who backed Bernie Sanders did hear reasons to warm up to Clinton.

One of Clinton’s challenges is to win the support – and amp up the enthusiasm – of young voters who backed Sanders over her in the Democratic primaries.

In our Monday night focus group, these one-time Bernie backers liked Clinton’s focus on plans to tackle income inequality, the burden of student debt, racial tension, and the influence of Wall Street – all issues championed by Sanders, a self-described socialist democrat.

“I think hearing Clinton tonight was good for me to accept her a little bit more,” said Hiwot Hailu, a student at Queens who went from leaning toward Clinton to supporting her. “She checked off a lot of the boxes that Bernie did for me.”

Aisha Dew, a focus group member who ran Sanders’ N.C. campaign, said she was heartened to hear Clinton talk about issues related to the recent protests in Charlotte, including community policing, gun control and better training for police officers.

Dew said she had favored Sanders over Clinton during the primaries because “I thought he was stronger on social justice. That’s why I’m really happy that she’s adopting a lot of (Sanders’ ideas).”

3. Gary Johnson – the candidate excluded from the debate – could take votes from Trump.

Those who analyze polls around the country have said that Libertarian Party presidential candidate Johnson, a former Republican governor of New Mexico, is hurting Clinton more than Trump.

But there was some evidence in our focus group Monday night that Johnson’s popularity in North Carolina may come at Republican Trump’s expense.

John Fitzgerald, an unaffiliated voter, said he is among the many Americans who want to vote for change in 2016. With Clinton representing “more of the same,” he has considered Trump as “a potential agent of change.”

But, he said, Trump’s “rough, unpolished” style and his failure to come up with details about his proposals have turned Fitzgerald into a likely Johnson voter.

“I think Trump closely articulates some of my feelings,” Fitzgerald said, “but I can’t envision him as commander-in-chief.”

Hank Federal, a registered Republican, said he, too, is now leaning to Johnson. He termed Trump’s Monday night performance “bombastic.”

Federal added that he was “beyond frustrated that, with this debate, the two major party candidates are this horrible. ... I wish (Johnson) had been at the debate.”