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Voices Behind the Vote - Part 7: Romney's the One

Richard and Elaine Evans moved from Michigan to New Mexico for one...ok maybe two reasons. Aside from their grandchildren:

It was the flying that brought us to New Mexico. You have beautiful skies, and you can fly almost everyday. Richard and I had both flown, for years, small airplanes. And it's just been our passion.

The couple, now in their 60s, find flying to be a nice escape from the hustle and bustle of daily life. Between two kids, seven grandchildren, and a successful small business, they say their flying time has been limited lately, but they wouldn't have it any other way.

Despite their busy lives though, Richard and Elaine do find the time to stay involved in politics. They aren't shy about the fact that they're Romney fans, and Richard says a big reason is Mitt Romney's economic plan.

We've got a small business, we've been in business for over 40 years and you have to do whatever you can to encourage business to grow. Business isn't going to go out and hire someone if they're going to be taxed to death. Raising taxes, all it does is stifle the economy. And the funny part of it is that when you lower taxes, the government ends up with more money because you have more people paying taxes.

He says he also likes that Mitt Romney has significant business experience, because he understands the risks that many entrepreneurs take when starting a business.

Business men put everything on the line. If you're working for someone and you lose your job you just go out and find another one. A guy loses his business, he's standing out there in his underwear, he's lost his house he's lost everything.

Being from Michigan, the Evans' feel they already know the Romney family and what they’re capable of. Mitt Romney's father was governor there for 3 terms, and Elaine says she liked what she saw.

He was a phenomenal governor, and if Romney is anything like him, which I believe he is, because they’re full of ethics, that family, I think he'll do a great job.

And for them, ethics is a big deal, because Elaine and Richard are deeply religious…a factor that has always influenced how they vote. 

I thought it was great when Governor Romney said that the United States was for all religions. We're all under one God. And I love the way he said it, and he believes it.

He's extremely ethical, and extremely honest, extremely so, whereas Obama is nothing but a pack of lies. And the problem is that I really believe that why he's in office is because of our sin as a nation and God put him there. And I'm just praying that the Lord will give us another chance and put a good man in there and help pull us out of this mess.

Throughout the interview, Richard and Elaine cited a number of specific issues they don’t like about the Obama administration; however, what’s really driving them to the polls this year is the Affordable Care Act, more commonly known as Obama Care.

The only thing that that’s good for, that socialized medicine, is if you’ve got a broken toenail or something. But if you have anything serious, you can forget it because they say come back in a year...but by that time you’re dead. You can’t get an operation plus the fact that there’s not very many doctors.

The Evans’ are very concerned that the act will turn our current healthcare system into government run socialized healthcare, similar to what’s been implemented in Canada…something they became very familiar with while living in Michigan.

There are so many people are coming over the border through Windsor and they’re all coming over to get surgeries like gallbladder because they have to wait so long to get an operation.

There are many controversial and emotional issues being debated this election season, and the presidential race will likely be close. But while it’s looking like President Obama may end up winning here in New Mexico, the Evans’ aren’t discouraged, they say they’ll still be at the polls this November exercising their right to vote.