Donald Trump was a clear winner in Stark County.
The former — and future — president defeated Vice President Kamala Harris 109,461 votes to 69,732, or 60% to 38%, according to the full, unofficial results from the Stark County Board of Elections.
First-time voter Khloe Bowen of Canton smiled after voting for Trump. She was excited to join family members in supporting Trump at the polling place at Westbrook Park United Methodist Church.
“I like his policies (on the economy and illegal immigration),” said Bowen, 19, adding that she is a big fan of Trump’s choice for vice president.
“I love JD Vance and his stance on gun control and being pro-life,” she added.
A Jackson Township couple gave Harris a thumbs up on Tuesday
Emmanuel Akosa and his wife Maria agreed that supporting Kamala Harris for president was the right thing for America’s future. The couple voted at the Church of the Lakes in Jackson Township.
“We need a united country,” said Emmanuel, who immigrated to the US 23 years ago, before the results were known. “I just can’t support Trump and (the division) he represents.”
Akosa’s wife, Maria, also voted for Harris. She said prosperity was the main reason for the couple’s four children to vote for the vice president.
“We want a better life for our children and family,” said Maria, a women’s rights voter who came to the country from Columbia 22 years ago.
Trump collects votes from Jackson Township residents
Jackson resident Will Logan named Trump as his choice for president.
“He’s going to stabilize our country and solve the problem of illegal immigration, which is even worse now because of all the crime,” Logan said.
“The economy is terrible, and (Trump) will fix that too,” he added.
Another Jackson resident who voted for the former president was Ryan Lenzer, who suggested national security was at stake on Election Day.
“If he doesn’t win, all the people who came over the (Mexican) border could start a civil war,” Lenzer said, adding that Tuesday marked the third time he voted for Trump and called him a real “American man.” .
Individual rights were on the ballot, says Jackson voter
Jackson Township resident Amelia Angelo said a deep distaste for Trump and her commitment to women’s health were key factors in her vote for Harris.
“Our freedoms are in women’s voting and health,” Angelo said, noting that her decision to support Harris was an easy one.
Tatiana McCoy of Canton said she wanted to see the first woman in the White House and praised Harris’ employment initiative.
“I think she will get us back to work with better jobs,” McCoy said. “She suits us now.”
Valerie Ross, 41, of Canton, said she voted for Trump mainly because of her views on the issue of abortion. She voted at the J. Babe Stearn Community Center in Canton.
“I mostly vote for the Republican Party just because I’m Catholic,” she said. “Yes, I do believe that women have the right to choose, but I also believe that babies have the right to choose, so that is very important to me.”
At First Christian Church in Massillon, Serenity Wood, 22, of Perry Township, said she decided to vote for Trump after much research.
“I feel like if Kamala wanted to make America a better place, she would have already done it,” she said.
“Personally, I think… he was the better choice,” she said.
While voters reported leaning one way or the other, David Armstead, 70, of Massillon, shook it out somewhere in the middle.
He did not announce any of the candidates he had chosen, but he said he voted for some Democrats and some Republicans.
“I voted for a little bit of everyone,” he said. “I think we need a lot of change. The country is in a bad state right now.”
Canton Repository staff writer Janson McNair contributed to this report.
Reach Steven Grazier at steven.grazier@indeonline.com. On X (formerly Twitter): @sgrazierINDE
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Stark County voters back Donald Trump