This is an unusual time in American politics.
Former President Trump is recovering from an assassination attempt.
And President Biden is undergoing treatment for COVID-19 and faces new struggles to continue the campaign amid growing doubts within his party about his victory.
“It's been a bit of a rollercoaster ride. It feels like something new happens every day,” one woman said.
And an incredible series of events has unfolded in the race for the White House.
We spoke to Thomas Barczylski, a presidential historian at Eastern Connecticut State University, about it.
“I've never seen the balance of power between Republicans and Democrats so quickly restored this early in a presidential election,” Barczylski said.
Former President Trump watched as critical coverage was directed at President Biden's performance in the June debate.
And last weekend, Trump survived an assassination attempt at a campaign rally.
And this week at the Republican National Convention, he watched as people rallied around him to select J.D. Vance as his running mate.
“Donald Trump has enjoyed more extraordinary good fortune so far than any presidential candidate in modern political history,” Barczynski said.
For Biden, it was a fall from victory in the primaries and the State of the Union to the debates.
He is currently in isolation after testing positive for COVID-19, and support for his candidacy from his own party continues to fade.
“By comparison, Democrats have had perhaps the worst three weeks on record for a sitting president in modern American history,” Barczylski said.
All of this has left some voters dissatisfied with their choices.
“It's not good for the younger generation to see where we are right now,” said Erin LaFleur of Newington.
And people feel their concerns are not being addressed.
“We're working an average of 40 hours and we're still struggling, so the financial issues are definitely a big issue,” said Cynthia Cummings of Hartford.
Barczerski said it was unprecedented for a major party to change candidates at this stage in the election campaign.
The closest parallel is said to be 1968, when President Johnson withdrew, but that was much earlier in the electoral process, and there were primaries as well.
