NEW YORK, NY February 16, 2004 — New York State's Democrat primary is March 2nd. For the next three Mondays, WNYC will explore what's on voters' minds. WNYC's Amy Eddings spoke with voters in Lower Manhattan.

Lower Manhattan, below Canal Street, was most directly affected by the terrorist attacks of September 11th. So, when Margaret Blanco was asked what her top concern was this election season, her response was understandable.

Blanco: I'm interested in keeping our area safe, our country safe, our people safe.

Blanco, a registered Democrat, says she's voting for Republican President George Bush.

Blanco: I'm sorry that we had to go to war, but I do want to keep our country safe, yeah.

But Margaret Blanco's opinion seems to be the minority among the Lower Manhattan voters WNYC spoke with. Most say they're dedicated Democrats, who have no intention of voting for President Bush. And even though many of them live blocks from the World Trade Center, they say their top concern is not national security, anyway. Many say any president, Democrat or Republican, will have to address that issue. For most voters, it's the economy, stupid.

Lopez: Where's the jobs? I've been unemployed for about a year and a half already.

Harold Lopez is registered to vote as an independent.

Lopez: I was working as a field technician in IT industry, information technology? I pick up Mickey Mouse jobs, but there's no solid jobs that I'm able to, that are out there.

Carol Wong, a secretary at the True Light Lutheran Church in Chinatown, says her top concern is the need for jobs and affordable health care for immigrants.

Wong: I believe when the immigrants come, most of them either factory or restaurant. Now, since 9/11, there isn't manufacturing in Chinatown. Especially if you don't speak English, it's hard to find a job.

Several blocks east, in front of the Alfred E. Smith public housing projects, Kenneth Allen says he's not out of work, but he knows friends who are.

Kenneth Allen: You know a lot of things are concentrating in Iraq, with the monies, the billions going towards there, but there's so much that can be done here. I'm not saying that you can let terrorism go. Believe me, I seen when the World Trade Center went down. Still, you've gotta take care of home base, too.

A recent Quinnipiac University poll in New York found domestic issues are more important than foreign policy and national security issues for 74 percent of likely Democratic primary voters. Howard Wolfson is a Democratic strategist who's not working on any presidential campaigns.

Wolfson: It's obviously good news for Democrats that economic issues are top of mind to voters because George Bush is going to have a hard time making his case on that issue. He's going to be the first president since Herbert Hoover to have jobs lost on his watch.

Since Bush took office, New York City lost nearly 240-thousand jobs. The unemployment rate last December was 7.9 percent nearly two percentage points higher than the national rate. The tough economy is stoking an anger toward President Bush that the Quinnipiac poll found in more than a third of the state's Democrats. Count Satima Powell and Kelshia Swanson among them. Which Democratic candidate do these young women want to see win in November?

Swanson: Anybody but Bush. He just, to me, he all about war, that's really .
Powell: The main thing he's thinking about is war.
Swanson: it's like, it's crazy.
Powell: He focuses on one thing, but then, you know, there's other things behind it that he have to focus on that he's not.
Kelshia: I hope he don't cheat to win again. That's the only thing I'm concerned about.

Most Lower Manhattan Democrats say they're still up in the air about who they'll vote for come Super Tuesday. When pressed, a few say they're leaning toward the front-runner, Massachusetts Senator John Kerry, because they think he's trustworthy, and honest. But most are ABB - Anybody But Bush. For WNYC, I'm Amy Eddings.