to the editor: i am a supporter of hillary clinton. i walked snowy streets in nevada for her and made thousands of phone calls. i maxed out on campaign contributions. i stood in line to see her and i told her to her face that she needed to win for our grandchildren, and she replied that i needed to do my part. i did my part, and i am not sure she did hers. this election, given the opposition, should be an easy win, but she has turned it into a close race with controversies about her emails, her staff and the clinton foundation. even if the controversies are exaggerated, she should be better in control. i want her to win desperately, but i wish she had done a better job at controlling her campaign. janice bertozzi reno, nev. to the editor: polls, pundits and predictions aside, it would be wrong to underestimate the strength of donald trump in the presidential race. from my vantage point as a former new yorker who moved to a small city in eastern north carolina some 10 years ago, i see a lot of signs that point to a very possible win for mr. trump. it<u+2019>s not just the stereotypical pickup truck with oversized american and confederate flags plastered with trump stickers parked next to me. it<u+2019>s also the soft-spoken and educated woman overheard at a party who said she planned on holding her nose and voting for mr. trump. it<u+2019>s not just the vocal racist but also the neighbor who is more subtle in his or her comments about immigration and other controversial issues. then there is the person who will vote against hillary clinton because her 30 years of public service have not resulted in the changes she says she has fought for. why vote for someone who has visible flaws when there is an alternative promising to make american great again? as the election grows closer, i grow more and more apprehensive about a possible trump win. a flamboyant and mouthy reality star with no real substance is not what this country needs to carry us through the horrendous challenges of today and tomorrow. carolyn nygren curran new bern, n.c. to the editor: it<u+2019>s time for democrats to recognize that their characterization of donald trump<u+2019>s supporters as stupid, ignorant and even deplorable is damaging their chances of gaining ground with working-class voters. the democratic party used to be the party of the working class. when i was a child, my mother, a proud democrat, told me that democrats stick up for <u+201c>the little guy.<u+201d> because democrats are viewed as having given up on caring about people from rural areas, many traditionally blue areas of the country are turning red. although i find him reprehensible, donald trump has at least acted as if he cares about what happens to people in areas like appalachia, the midwest and the deep south. working-class folks believe that donald trump is their voice. whether he wins or loses, democrats need to take a hard look at the fact that a manhattan-based billionaire is beating them in the race for blue-collar america. quin welch louisville, ky. to the editor: the lack of enthusiasm by many of hillary clinton<u+2019>s supporters is not a reflection of how much we care about who wins this election. it is solely a function of sadness over what has gone on during the presidential campaign. hillary supporters <u+2014> including many who were enthusiastic for bernie sanders <u+2014> are so disgusted, and so worried about what happens after nov. 8, that the happiness at the prospect of having our first female president is diluted by the same fears that came after the election of our first black president. there is so much ugliness that has been unleashed by donald trump and his supporters. this campaign has brought sorrow for many of us. fear and sorrow. how can we be enthusiastic about anything? janet sobel san diego to the editor: contrary to david leonhardt<u+2019>s position (<u+201c> what did you do in 2016? ,<u+201d> column, nov. 1), voting for a candidate you don<u+2019>t like simply because the other choice is worse does not strengthen the democratic process. here<u+2019>s why. economically, we live in a free-market system. if a consumer tours a store and finds nothing she likes, does she buy the item that she dislikes the least? of course not. she leaves. why is this important? because it tells the producers of products on display that they have done a poor job and must correct that. nowhere is that message more vital to our lives than in politics. when our major parties offer bad candidates, they need to be told that in no uncertain terms. a vote for least-awful fails to convey the message and encourages the parties to repeat next time. for that reason, i am not voting for president this time <u+2014> despite an unbroken record since j.f.k. philip mcbride johnson fernandina beach, fla. a version of this letter appears in print on november 5, 2016, on page a18 of the new york edition with the headline: voters<u+2019> voices: worried and wistful. today's paper | subscribe
voters<u+2019> voices: worried and wistful
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