I’m a California Retiree: 5 Reasons I’m Voting for Harris
Written by
Jordan Rosenfeld
Edited by
Molly Sullivan
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While California is treated as a traditionally “blue” state, it’s not a guarantee that California residents will always vote for the Democratic candidate. In fact, California’s electoral votes have gone to a Republican president in 15 out of 25 presidential elections in the 20th Century.
However, one California voter, retired journalist Susan Rife, age 68, intends to cast her vote for current Vice President Kamala Harris in the upcoming 2024 presidential election and hopes the state follows suit.
Though Rife said she would have voted for President Joe Biden if he stayed in the race, she was worried about his age and pleased when he dropped out to allow Harris to step up.
Since then she’s brought her research skills to bear on Harris’ campaign trail proposals and decided they reflect her own concerns. Here are some of her top reasons for voting for Harris.
To Protect Social Security and Medicare
At the top of the list for every retiree, Rife said, herself included, is a candidate who will protect the future of Social Security and Medicare. Rife has only been collecting Social Security herself for a couple of years but worries about younger generations. She’s scoured Harris’ platform to see where she falls on this issue.
“I’m not sure about our kids’ generation, good luck to them, but I feel confident that Harris would be the one to protect the continuing earned benefits as I like to call them,” Rife said.
To Mitigate the Burdens of the Middle Class
Perhaps most decisive for Rife is Harris’ commitment to mitigating taxes on the middle class, that segment of people Rife described as having been “hollowed out in recent years as the rich get richer.”
Rife feels Harris’ move to focus on the middle class is smart for many reasons especially because the middle class “is the bedrock of the economy in this country.” She added, “As the middle class is suffering, everybody suffers. So I appreciate [Harris’] focus on that.”
To Increase Housing Opportunities
Another of Harris’ proposals that appeals to Rife relates to her bid to increase housing opportunities in this country. While Rife said that’s going to be a big challenge in a state like California, where “There are so many obstacles to creating more reasonably priced housing,” Rife called Harris’ efforts in this direction a “valiant effort given that nationwide people in the lower tiers of wages just cannot afford to buy a house period.”
Owning a home is one of the key ways that middle-class people build and exchange generational wealth, after all, Rife said, “If your parents had a house that they were able to generate, and hang onto, enough wealth to help you get into a house, then you are in a position to help your kids get into a house.”
She finds Harris’ focus on the middle class to be refreshing, especially as compared to Trump’s policy proposals.
“Trump is all about himself and about the upper echelons of income earners.”
Harris’ Policies Accord With the Biden Administration
Rife generally feels that if elected, Harris will follow the Biden administration in other areas where her policies are not as clearly stated, such as around climate change.
“I have no concerns about the Biden administration and how they’ve handled an economy that was dumped into the toilet worldwide during the pandemic. Their efforts to bring that economy back up to the envy of the world again has been really laudable, and I don’t expect her to deviate much from that track,” Rife said.
It’s Time for a President Who Reflects the Country
Better yet, she likes that Harris, as a woman of color and a member of Generation X, reflects the changing face of the country. Rife feels that her own generation, boomers, have done their time leading the country, and it’s time for younger and more diverse leadership.
“I’m excited by the prospect of a woman of color … who I think is reflective of the evolution of this society,” Rife said.
Rife’s is one vote Harris can count on this Nov. 5.
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