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N.C. small business owner on the issues that matter this election

Terry Coleman, a restauranteur from Lenoir, N.C., talks about who she's voting for this fall, and why.

Tonight former President Bill Clinton will be the main event at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte. Last night, Michelle Obama got personal and stressed her husband’s connections with the middle class. “Barack knows what it means when a family struggles,” she said. “He knows what it means to want something more for your kids and grandkids. Barack knows the American dream because he’s lived it.”

As part of Marketplace’s coverage of The Real Economy, we’ve been speaking to voters about what matters most to them this election year. This morning, we hear from Terry Coleman from Lenoir, N.C., where she runs a restaurant called Sweet T’s on Main. She says that as a small business owner, she hasn’t been affected negatively or positively by anything on President Obama’s agenda. “I feel like it’s my responsibility to go out and work as hard as I can to grow this business and to do the right things for my employees.”

Still, she plans on voting for Obama this fall. “Honestly, when I look at Mitt Romney, I do not see anything about him that resembles me or where I’ve come from. I just don’t. I work hard, I’m a single mom, I raise two kids. I struggle every day, and it’s hard to see that in Gov. Romney.”

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