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BEAVER DAM -- Lifelong Republican Steve Smith said his party's presidential nominee, Arizona Sen. John McCain, is too old and that he will vote for Democratic Illinois senator Barack Obama in November.
"I've been a Republican all my life, and I think we need a new direction," said Smith, 52, a mechanical engineer who has started riding his bike to work occasionally to save on gas. "The economy, gas prices, the housing market. I think we need a change. "
McCain, 71, who would be the oldest person ever elected to a first-term as president,"seems a little slow," Smith said.
Just as Obama's race could be a factor for some voters, McCain's age may prove an insurmountable obstacle for others. What's more, people who question the Arizona senator's fitness for office because of his age are more vocal about it in opinion polls -- and cite the issue in greater numbers -- than those who say they won't vote for Obama because he's black.
A Quinnipiac University Polling Institute survey of 1,537 likely Wisconsin voters in June found that 20 percent said they would be less likely to vote for McCain because of his age, while 77 percent said it wouldn't affect how they vote. By comparison, 4 percent said they were less likely to vote for Obama because of his race and 91 percent said it wouldn't make a difference.
A national Gallup Poll in June found that 23 percent of those surveyed said McCain's age would make him a less effective president. Eight percent said Obama's race would make him less effective as president.
Others interviewed in Beaver Dam last week said McCain's age doesn't disqualify him for the presidency, and it wouldn't be a factor in their vote.
Elsie Cook, 95, a retired beautician and McCain supporter, said the senator's age shouldn't matter.
"As long as that brain works, use it, and he should," Cook said. "There's lots of people who are older who have many accomplishments."
Victor Buss, 84, a World War II veteran who is leaning toward Obama, agreed that McCain's age shouldn't be a factor "as long as his mind is OK."
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