Listen to business owners and voters in Erie, Pennsylvania. They could help decide the White House.

ERIE, Pa. (AP) — It wasn’t overmuch erstwhile he bought it, but Michael Hooks has made nan aged car shed his ain haven. And nan metropolis of Erie knows it. Half a twelve cars honk arsenic they walk by 1 October afternoon, nan group hanging retired of car windows to activity hullo astatine him.

About a twelve cars await servicing successful nan shop arsenic a canine Hooks adopted nan time earlier barks successful its caller cage. Exercise equipment, motorcycles and powerfulness devices abut nan room connected nan broadside of nan renovated building wherever his woman cooks a meal. At 6 feet, 2 inches, and pinch a sturdy build, Hooks has a graying beard and a caput of curls he says could beryllium laced pinch snowfall flurries by this clip of year.

“I’ve sewage to beryllium 1 of nan only Black businesses connected this street,” he says, noting that his repair shop stands connected Peach Street, 1 of nan city’s main postulation arteries. He appreciates nan greetings from passersby. But he says galore group who cognize him from nan neighborhoods wherever he grew up will ne'er measurement ft successful nan shop. Almost each his customers are white.

Hooks, 58, is simply a personnel of a coveted demographic successful this year’s predetermination — a Black man and a business proprietor successful a plaything state. Both statesmanlike campaigns person targeted Black entrepreneurs pinch their messaging, offering a scope of economical policies and authorities that each broadside says will boost nan careers and lives of African Americans.

How Erie business owners and voters specified arsenic Hooks position each candidate’s economical imagination could find power of nan White House. Erie County has gone for nan campaigner who won Pennsylvania successful each statesmanlike predetermination since 1992. Both Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Kamala Harris person visited nan metropolis of 94,000 successful caller weeks.

“Erie is simply a pivot point,” said Rhonda Matthews, co-founder of Erie Black Wall Street, a business group that supports section Black entrepreneurs. From organization rates to business startups, nan early of Erie’s system and authorities person shown wherever nan state whitethorn beryllium heading. “I deliberation if you want to cognize astir what’s happening economically writ ample successful nan country, you tin look and spot what’s happening successful Erie.”

Concerns astir ‘a deficiency of predictability’

Harris has rolled retired a bid of economical proposals meant to tackle affordability and boost mini businesses. Trump has stressed his committedness of sweeping tariffs, caller firm taxation cuts and an unprecedented crackdown connected forbidden and ineligible migration to nan country.

Local leaders are weighing nan effect of each schedule connected their plans to renew nan Rust Belt.

“A deficiency of predictability would beryllium nan worst imaginable thing,” said Drew Whiting, CEO of nan Erie Downtown Development Corporation, which is directing much than $100 cardinal successful backstage finance to nan downtown area.

Whiting praised national policies specified arsenic Qualified Opportunity Zones, which are meant to spur economical improvement successful low-income communities and were created arsenic portion of nan Trump administration’s 2017 taxation overhaul, arsenic good arsenic nan investments successful Erie enabled by nan Bipartisan Infrastructure Law spearheaded by Democratic President Joe Biden.

But Whiting added that “broad brush” policies specified arsenic Trump’s projected 20% tariffs connected each overseas equipment threatened to beryllium “an ostentation explosive that would crush mini businesses” for illustration those he useful with. Whiting viewed Harris’ projected investments for mini businesses to beryllium a imaginable boon. A nary taxation connected tips policy, which some Harris and Trump favor, would beryllium a invited invention for workers, he said.

The Harris run has zeroed successful connected affordability arsenic a cardinal interest of voters amid rising inflation. Her proposals to punish companies that gouge prices and her promises to grow support for wellness attraction and kid attraction are issues wherever nan run believes they tin little costs for moving families. Trump, by contrast, would little nan firm taxation complaint to 15%, widen his taxation cuts and further trim different individual and family taxes, including by eliminating taxes connected Social Security.

Most mainstream economists work together that Trump’s proposals would worsen inflation.

Local business owners who said pinch The Associated Press expressed cautious optimism astir Harris’ proposals to support mini businesses, though astir were mostly skeptical astir nan effect that national argumentation could person connected their lives.

“There’s conscionable truthful galore factors, things to see from correct present and world factors,” said Gus Paliouras, proprietor of New York Lunch, a section diner. Paliouras’ family immigrated to nan United States from Greece and bought nan diner successful 1970, erstwhile it was 1 of dozens of bustling businesses connected apical of a station office, schoolhouse and church. Now Paliouras’ diner is nan only storefront near connected nan block.

“I effort to support it for illustration Geneva successful here,” he said, referring to nan metropolis successful famously neutral Switzerland. “In this town, we could person Trump, Kamala and Kennedy supporters sitting correct adjacent to each different astatine nan bar.” Independent Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was successful nan title until August, erstwhile he suspended his run and endorsed Trump.

One business proprietor sees his city’s divisions

Hooks considers himself a survivor.

Born and raised successful Erie, Hooks grew up successful poorness and pinch fewer options, support aliases guidance for his life. At 23, he was sentenced to 30 years for dealing marijuana. He served 8 years successful prison, an acquisition he described arsenic “the champion point that ever happened to me.”

Prison was nan first spot Hooks was exposed to scripture — nan Bible and Quran — arsenic good arsenic stories astir travel, business and history.

While he has transformed his circumstances and flooded “trials and tribulations that made maine a amended man,” he finds nan distinctions that immoderate tie betwixt poor, moving and middle-class group to beryllium meaningless.

“It’s because we person group successful this state that want to beryllium amended than personification else,” he said successful a caller interview. “You thrust a Toyota Camry, I thrust nan Lexus. It’s nan aforesaid ... car. It’s conscionable a different name, but it’s a higher status.”

“For example, (Harris) says she wants to springiness america a $50,000 taxation break aliases whatever,” he added, referring to nan vice president’s projected taxation in installments for caller mini businesses. “But that could ne'er travel into fruition pinch group that deliberation they amended than somebody, but you unrecorded adjacent doorway to me, and your motion says Trump.”

In summation to his car attraction company, Hooks now runs a nutrient catering business. On nan weekends he goes backmost to nan neighborhoods wherever he grew up to feed, clothe and trim hairsbreadth for kids for free. His kindness efforts are focused connected making judge children ne'er person nan experiences he erstwhile faced.

Hooks is skeptical of nan expertise of politicians to alteration basal problems facing mundane Americans, but says he’ll beryllium voting for Harris.

“Trump had nan opportunity to beryllium great,” Hooks said, but called Trump’s first word a “disaster.” Hooks said he preferred “going pinch personification who whitethorn astatine slightest effort and thief nan small guy.”