FLORENCE — More than 100 people came out to Brew Practitioners for a “News and Brews” debate party Sunday hosted by New England Public Radio.
The brewery was packed. Some people stood in the corner, taking “selfies” with cardboard cut-outs of the presidental candidates. Other people squeezed through the crowd to find a spot to stand, careful not to spill their freshly poured pint.
Jeffrey Gatrall, 68, of Florence sat the bar. He’s a Hillary Clinton supporter and said he expected the night’s debate to be “blood and guts.”
About 48 hours before Sunday night’s Town Hall debate, audio was released of Donald Trump having a vulgar and lewd conversation about women. And just hours before the debate, Trump held a press conference with women who have accused Bill Clinton of sexual assault.
“I’ve given up expecting things,” Emily Savin, 30, of Florence, said while waiting for Sunday’s debate to air. Savin was a Bernie Sanders supporter during the primary election. Now she’s set on voting for Clinton.
“She knows her stuff backwards and forwards,” Cory Ellen Gatrall, 37, of Florence, said about Clinton.
“I don’t really like her, but I was impressed,” Michael Wilmeth, 47, of Heath, said. Wilmeth said he started supporting Clinton once it became clear that Sanders was not going to win the primaries. Although he is voting for the Democratic candidate, Wilmeth said Clinton is in the “pocket of Wall Street.”
While many people at the brewery were set on voting for Clinton, some are undecided. Chris Belinda, 34, of Southwick, said he typically votes Republican, but isn’t sure this election. In the first presidential debate, Belinda said, Clinton was well-spoken and Trump was “a disaster.”
Counting down to the debate, Susan Kaplan of NEPR’s “All Things Considered” hosted commentary featuring former Daily Hampshire Gazette Editor Larry Parnass and Natalia Munoz of WHMP’s “Vaya Con Munoz.”
“Who here is a Trump supporter?” Kaplan said. Everyone looked around. Al Carter, 45, of Glastonbury, Connecticut, raised his hand.
“I’ve always been a Republican,” he said. Carter was a Jeb Bush supporter during the primaries. Carter is not a huge fan of Trump’s character.
“It’s embarassing when he opens his mouth,” Carter said. However, Carter said he hopes that Trump will just be the face of the Republican Party.
As for Sunday’s debate, Carter said “it’s entertainment.”
Caitlin Ashworth can be reached at cashworth@gazettenet.com.