Danbury resident Angelica Idrovo talks about Vice President Kamala Harris in deeply personal terms.
“I see leadership. I see resiliency and I see hope,” Idrovo said.
Polls show a lot of enthusiasm among women nationwide for Harris in the presidential race. And that support is even stronger in Connecticut. Local politicians say they're encouraged by what they're seeing across the state.
State Sen. Julie Kushner of Danbury said she felt more energy from residents after Harris became the Democratic Party nominee.
"I have seen it when I talk to people at the doors," Kushner said. "A lot of people are calling saying they want to work. We have gotten tons of calls. I didn’t feel that enthusiasm before this. “
Between January and early October, there were more than 165,000 newly registered voters in the state, the majority of which were women registering as Democrats or unaffiliated. That's according to recent data compiled by the Secretary of the State's office and provided to Connecticut Public.
While many voters in Connecticut are politically unaffiliated, most women in the state back Harris’ candidacy, according to a recent CT Mirror poll. The poll found Harris with a 26-point lead over former President Donald Trump among women.
Many women told Connecticut Public in interviews that they do not want Trump to again become president, even though some do not fully support Harris.
Idrovo is volunteering for Harris’ campaign, calling up voters and knocking on doors. It’s her first campaign, as she said she will be personally impacted by who wins in November.
“The only reason why I’m with Kamala Harris is because Trump will deport me,” Idrovo said.
Idrovo is one of more than 100,000 estimated undocumented people who live in Connecticut. She cannot vote and isn’t a member of the Democratic Party.
She became active in immigration advocacy circles during high school and later went on to lead Connecticut Students for a Dream, and is now the co-lead for TPS for Ecuador National Coalition, which is calling for the extension of temporary protected status to Ecuadorians in the United States.
Idrovo says she wants people to vote for Harris, but it's not a ringing endorsement, either.
“It's picking the lesser of two evils,” Idrovo said.
Idrovo likes Harris, even though she believes she could have provided a more detailed immigration reform policy and ceasefire plan in Gaza.
Others like Maram Aaid, a 19-year-old sophomore at Sacred Heart University, say they are registered to vote and are leaning towards voting for Harris.
Aaid emigrated from Yemen as a child and is a citizen. Aaid says her No. 1 election issue is U.S. foreign relations, especially in the Middle East.
She planned on sitting out the election when President Joe Biden was still the Democratic nominee. That changed after he dropped out.
“At first, when it was Biden and Trump, I was like, I'm not voting. I don't want to be a part of it,” Aaid said.
She gave Harris credit for being one of the first prominent politicians to explicitly condemn Islamophobia after the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by the militant group Hamas.
Aaid is also an avid social media user, who encountered the now well-known coconut tree meme embraced by Harris supporters.
“I think the first thing that caught my mind about her was the coconut thing … that's what also attracts younger voters, because they want someone that's relatable to them,” Aaid said.
Harris’ ability to draw in young voters isn't a surprise to Gayle Alberda, a political science professor at Fairfield University.
“The way that she comes across to people, you see a lot of her ads … where she’s hugging and shaking hands and just always smiling or laughing and that’s a different kind of persona than her opponent," Alberda said.
Across Connecticut, women of color in particular say Harris is relatable. Nija Phelps is African American and vice chair of the Milford Democratic Town Committee.
"She's Black, she's AAPI (Asian American Pacific Islander), she's a woman, she's a wife, she's a stepmother,” Phelps said. “All of these different things, and all of them make up who she is. And she's definitely a trailblazer in many ways, and she's also the best person on the ticket.”
Phelps remembered feeling depressed after Trump’s victory in 2016. But this time around, she feels differently.
“People are excited, people are very motivated to make sure that we get our local slate of Democrats elected, and also that we get our candidate for president and vice president elected,” she said.
As Idrovo continues to campaign for Harris, she keeps sharing her story as an undocumented person, even though she said it can be exhausting. But people are responding, she said.
“A couple of people who I have spoken to over the phone, they actually have become volunteers,” Idrovo said.
