Last updated: September 18, 2009 8:23 pm
The FT went to Fredericksburg, a quaint, historic town of 20,000 people just north of the Virginia state capital of Richmond, to assess the political mood among senior citizens ahead of the Virginia gubernatorial elections in November.
Many analysts are watching Virginia as a bellwether of what could happen in next year’s mid-term elections, when the younger voters who turned out to vote for Barack Obama last year could stay home and leave voters over the age of 45 to determine the race.
Mr Obama became the first Democratic presidential nominee to win Virginia since Lyndon Johnson in 1964, but for the last 32 years, the governor’s race has always been won by the party that lost the previous year’s presidential election.
In this race, Democrat Creigh Deeds is vying with Republican Bob McDonnell, with much of the debate centring around Mr Obama’s healthcare reform plans.
!["I voted for President Obama and I think we have to give him a chance. I think he is trying to do the right thing with healthcare. I would not go for government controlled healthcare because I'm very satisfied with what I have now, Medicare and supplementary insurance. But I think he is doing as well as he can, especially as he has to fight the Republicans every step of the way. But here [in Virginia] I concentrate on personalities and I am going to vote for Deeds."](http://im.ft-static.com/content/images/5c8439fc-a46e-11de-92d4-00144feabdc0.img)
!["[Mr Obama's] performance is poor. When he says something, it's not from his heart, it's from a teleprompter. I think healthcare is none of government's business, it's unconstitutional. I have Medicare but not by choice - the government forces it on me. I voted for John McCain [last year] and I will vote for McDonnell. But I don't always vote Republican. I think that the Republicans in Washington are too condescending, too willing to reach their hands across the aisle, and they ought to stick up for what they believe in."](http://im.ft-static.com/content/images/5f64eb6c-a46e-11de-92d4-00144feabdc0.img)
![Ms Hudson: "I don't believe anyone should lose their healthcare so someone else can get it. We should talk about it some more. I'm a registered Democrat but I'm a big McCain fan." Ms Parks:"I haven't decided how I will vote in November but I'm very pleased with him. I voted for him. I think he's doing his best." Ms Hickman: "I think [Mr Obama] is doing too much too soon and he is ramming things down our throats. We don't want healthcare reforms to be made too quickly. Instead, he should sit down and listen to the country. His plans will definitely change Medicare and we don't want that. I'm going to vote McDonnell in November."](http://im.ft-static.com/content/images/6086e91e-a46e-11de-92d4-00144feabdc0.img)
!["Obama keeps moving from one project to another. He should concentrate on one thing at a time. Most people feel that spending is out of control. I have lots of older customers who always vote Democrat but they say they're going to vote for McDonnell [in November]. I am going to vote for him."](http://im.ft-static.com/content/images/6359f334-a46e-11de-92d4-00144feabdc0.img)
![I'm not real politically minded so I don't understand all [the administration's healthcare reform plans]. A couple of my daughters don't think it's that great, that we're going to have socialised medicine, but as far as I'm concerned, I'm not worried about any changes. I use Medicare and I'm happy and I don't feel like anything is going to change. I voted for President Obama and I would vote for him again. I think he's doing the best he can."](http://im.ft-static.com/content/images/64b3ddee-a46e-11de-92d4-00144feabdc0.img)
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