An undecided swing state voter watched the debate. It moved the needle

DUNWOODY, Ga. – A small, but potentially crucial slice of voters remain undecided about the presidential election this fall, including in tossup Georgia. Just outside Atlanta, Cameron Lewellen, a father of three little kids, is one of them.

In 2020, Lewellen voted for Joe Biden. But four years prior, he cast his ballot for Trump. And in the last election, he split his ticket between the Republican candidate for governor and the Democrat running for U.S. Senate. With early voting in 2024 a few weeks away, Lewellen has felt stuck.

“This is tough,” he says.

Suburban voters like Lewellen have helped shape recent elections in this closely divided state, as some independents and disaffected Republicans drifted from their party in the Trump era. Metro Atlanta’s suburbs are also growing and becoming more diverse.

After Biden notched a win by just under 12,000 votes in Georgia, voters in 2022 sent Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock back to Washington and reelected Republican Gov. Brian Kemp.

On Tuesday night, Lewellen tuned into the debate in an effort to help crystallize his choice this fall. Lewellen settled into a plush, cream couch across from a big screen TV and a spread of pizzas. On a scratch piece of paper, he wrote in permanent marker the names of the two candidates and drew a line down the middle for his notes.

Lewellen says he soured on Trump as his presidency grew so chaotic, he began to fear for the stability of government, especially after the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol. At this point, Lewellen says he knows who Trump is, but sees Harris as more of a question mark. He has some serious reservations.

“She didn’t earn my vote,” Lewellen says. “She just was basically anointed because she was the vice president,