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Locals react to first presidential debate of 2016

19 views · Published 3 October 2016 · 2:46 · Indexed 21 September 2026

Channel: LOCAL 12 · 2016 · News & Politics

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CINCINNATI (WKRC) - Analysts expected Monday night’s presidential debate to grab a large audience and the numbers did not disappoint.

Some believe more than 100 million people were watching. That's about the same number who watch the Super Bowl.

Supporters of both candidates gathered to watch the debates locally.

Topics of race, national security and jobs dominated on the stage.

Hillary Clinton questioned whether Donald Trump is ready to lead a nation and Trump accused Clinton of being soft on crime.

But, each candidate had their supporters.

Many Democrats attended a watch party downtown to support Clinton.

They applauded at some points of time, laughed at points as Republican Candidate Trump interrupted Clinton and most really liked what they saw from their candidate.

"I think she did a fantastic job and she really proved she has the temperament to be our next Commander in Chief. She hit on all the things I wanted to hear her say, strong focus on the middle class. I'm just so excited for her to be our next president,” said Clinton supporter Democrat Kila Hanrahan.

"I think Hillary was dignified, I think she was calm, I think she was presidential,” said Clinton supporter Democrat Kathy Sands. “I was amazed at how many times Trump was jumping in, interrupting her, shouting over her, saying things like 'wrong'."

One of the biggest questions going into the debate was which Donald Trump would “show up.”

Would it be the subdued version or the combative version we often saw during the primary debates?

In the end, Trump was fairly aggressive.

His supporters are excited about his background as a businessman.

Republicans gathered at their own watch party, many have been volunteering for months to help Trump become the next president.

Supporters were energized to see their candidate shine.

"Like every good businessman, he's a salesman. He's very engaging up close. The other thing I liked about him, maybe inside baseball, that he really embraces the party structure, he was interested in what the Hamilton County Republican party does,” said Chairman of the Hamilton County GOP, Alex Triantafilou.

"We have been working hard for ‘Women for Trump’ and we've been working diligently for the last six weeks,” said Trump Supporter Republican Marsha Haberer. “We've had meetings every Thursday night."

The candidates are now back on the trail in battleground states: Clinton in North Carolina and Trump in Florida.

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