*VPM Intern Alan Rodriguez Espinoza reported this story
The preliminary results for Virginia’s Democratic primary projected most voters back former Vice President Joe Biden. Several candidates dropped out ahead of Super Tuesday, narrowing down the race for many voters.
For many voters VPM spoke to at the polls, the choice was between two candidates: Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders.
Sanders led among young voters in Richmond. Zara Wallace, 29, says he’s still paying back his college loans. He likes the Vermont Senator’s promise to do away with student debt.
“I’m one of among millions of other individuals in my generation that were encumbered by these ridiculous student loans that unfortunately we’re paying back because our parents didn’t have the money to send us to college,” Wallace said.
Others, like Latisha Taylor from Chesterfield County, say Biden is the best candidate to bring together a divided country. From our conversations, Biden led among older African-American voters in the counties surrounding Richmond.
“He was Obama’s vice president, so I trust him the most,” Taylor said. Keron Turner of Richmond echoed this sentiment. He voted for Biden because “his leadership is needed.”
For some voters, like Tanner Parsons of Richmond, it was difficult to pick between the two front runners. Instead, Parsons voted for Sen. Elizabeth Warren.
“I wanted someone in the middle of the two candidates, between Biden and Bernie,” he said. “She might not have the greatest chance of winning the primaries in Virginia but I believe that she is one of the most intelligent candidates in the field.”
Most agreed that Democrats should support whoever ends up facing off with Pres. Donald Trump in November, although some voters, like VSU student Kayla Frank, said many candidates were not an option.
“[Sanders] has the only platform that’s going to ensure I have a good quality of living,” Franks said, adding, “It was 'blue no matter who' last election, and Hillary lost, and it’s because she’s so disconnected from the real problems of working class people and especially young people.”