What’s Wrong With My Candidate?

Republican voters open up about the one thing they’d change about the candidate they like best.

Steven Thornton, Photographer. Marietta, Ga. Supports Gingrich.

“I disagree when [Gingrich] says he wants to tax corporations at 12.5 percent. My view is that if you want to bring manufacturing back into the country, if you put a 0 percent tax on that for 10, 15 years, then, you know what? That’s a good idea… The only candidate who was really bold, when he says talking about changing the tax base, was Herman Cain.”

David Weigel.
Heather Joseph, Equestrian services provider. Livonia, Mich. Supports Romney.

“I like [Romney], but there’s an air about him. You know what I mean? He doesn’t relate well to people. But I can get past that, because he’s the best Republican that’s running.”
David Weigel.
Garrett Headdon, Student. Knoxville, Tenn. Supports Romney.

“Cain was my first choice. I thought he had just the right experience. He lost me during the debates. He didn’t seem to know enough about foreign policy. So it’s not that I have any problem with Romney. It just took me some time to get used to him. It would have been nice if Cain had dealt with his problems.”
David Weigel.
Donna Vinson-Davis, Retired Capitol Hill Staffer. Sandy Springs, Ga. Supports Gingrich.

“The only thing I have a problem with is [Gingrich’s] divorce situation, the fact that he divorced his wife and married somebody else he was seeing. But I got past that.”
David Weigel.
Matt Brown, Concrete Salesman, Musician. Chattanooga, Tenn. Supports Gingrich.

“I’ll tell you, the only thing I disagree with [Gingrich] about is global warming. He made that commercial with Pelosi, where they were sitting on the couch, and it was about the stupidest thing I’ve ever seen from somebody I like.”

David Weigel.
Joseph Feinberg, Economist. Jackson, Mich. Supports Santorum.

“When you’re dealing with economic reform, you have to make difficult choices. Who will benefit? Who won’t? There’s the King Solomon story: Whose baby is this? Santorum would be able to make that sort of distinction, to figure out the real issue. It would be nice if he had more business experience, but it’s not a perfect choice.”
David Weigel.
Brenda Allen, Retiree. Maryville, Tenn. Supports Romney.

“I don’t like [Romney’s] sanctimonious attitude. I don’t think he can identify with the common people, because he’s not of the common people. I’m not voting for him as much as I’m voting against Santorum.”
David Weigel.
Keith Dixon, Student. Detroit, Mich. Supports Ron Paul.

“[Ron Paul] tells the truth, man. I want to hear him say some more about the corporations, but even on that, he’s better than the others. Romney’s a puppet. Santorum’s a puppet.”
David Weigel.

Most Republican voters are still sorting out what candidate to support. But even those who have made up their mind confess they have their private doubts. I talked to voters in Michigan, Tennessee, and Georgia, to find out what worries them most about the candidate they like best. Here’s what they said.