As the timeline to the Nov. 8th election day draws near, a the close knit community of Faith, North Carolina has seen a majority of its citizens rally behind Trump, the Republican presidential candidate, prompting some to wonder if this small sampling is a harbinger of things to come for the critical battleground state.
According to its website, Faith, NC has a population of just 739 people and is a place built on “Faith” and “Christian values and beliefs” — hence the name. Faith is also home to three churches and a five day Fourth of July celebration. The town is calculated to be just one square mile in size.
The religious community and the citizens who spoke with the Charlotte Observer are supporting the Republican nominee because they say he speaks to their desire to bring back factory jobs and has the potential to bring a new perspective to Washington due to his life as a businessman not a career politician.
Dillion, a 54-year-old Faith, NC resident, is a chemical company operator. When speaking to the Observer about the vote he plans to cast for Donald Trump, Dillion explained that he was the candidate that represented his interests, values and hope for something new.
“He’s not a politician, so maybe he can get something done. Like bring jobs back. American jobs,” Dillon said, adding in his personal background. “I grew up in textiles and I hated to see them go in the ’90s. We need to get the economy back.”
Others, like 39-year-old bicycle shop owner Lenny Melton, told the Observer that Trump’s slogan, “Make America Great Again,” resonates with him because “it means, ‘bring back manufacturing, bring made in America back.’ ”
“You ride through every mill town from here back to Charlotte – you’ll see what we’ve lost. There’s nothing here. Nothing. Unless you want to work at Walmart, Taco Bell, Kohl’s, IHOP. There’s no (other) place to work,” Melton added.
A four minute video discusses what the people of Faith, NC are saying about both candidates this election cycle:
(H/T Charlotte Observer)