"Trump won this hands-down," former Erie County councilman Brian Shank said.

Erie voters are reacting to the debate.

"Trump definitely kicked butt last night," Air Force veteran Stacy Pancoast said. 

Local Republicans felt confident in former President Donald Trump's performance Thursday night in the first presidential debate.

Shank drove his Trump figure display on State Street Friday morning, showing his support for the GOP front-runner.

"We knew President Biden would have some [stuttering] issues. Some of his facts were not true," Shank said. "He got his moneys mixed up: trillion, billion, trillion, millions."

Shank was in attendance for the Republican watch party Friday night at Calamari's Squid Row, as he felt the former president addressed issues like inflation and the border.

"I went to go buy a box of cookies for the party last night and I was shocked how much they were," Shank said.

Pancoast hopes for change at the border.

"Our border is a disaster right now, so we need to get that under control," Pancoast said.

Talks about the 2024 election extend beyond policies and issues, including the middle ground where many voters still find themselves.

"I really don't know who to choose," Erie native Syreeta Allen said.

"The takeaway is that it's pretty embarrassing that we're at the level that we are," Biden supporter Tiffany Lavette said.

Lavette is also the owner of ABC 24HR Child Care, a cost that is continuing to rise.

"The cost of childcare is more expensive than rent nationwide," Lavette said. "We've had over 10,000 facilities close, so we're in a childcare crisis."

Allen is a recovery specialist, so the fight against the opioid crisis is the number-one thing on her mind.

"I have seven offspring here, and just I want to make sure that things are safe for them growing up in this neighborhood," Allen said.