Mary Herrick has lived in Washington County, just outside of Milwaukee, for 50 years but during a recent lunch with a close friend there was an uncomfortable moment: Herrick said she was going to vote for U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris and her friend said she would be voting for former president Donald Trump.
“I think my jaw probably hit the floor,” Herrick, 76, said in a recent interview from her home in West End.
The upcoming election has caused relationships to fracture as Americans deal with intensifying political polarization. The division, heightened by social media echo chambers, has spilled into friend groups and families where political ideology is pushing people apart.
“I just couldn’t say anything,” Herrick said about how the conversation with her friend ended. “I just don’t understand why people would vote …