What Westminster (Massachusetts) really thinks about the US presidential election

WESTMINSTER, Massachusetts — “It’s kinda 50/50 in this town,” says Tom O’Toole, looking out over Main Street from his covered porch in Westminster. 

A giant U.S. flag hangs from one porch pillar. From the other, a blue and black version of the Stars and Stripes in tribute to fallen police officers. “Pray for America” placards line the lawn outside his white picket fence. 

“As far as I’m concerned, he’s really the only choice,” says O’Toole, 61, of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. Democratic contender Kamala Harris would be a puppet for vested interests, he adds.

The former selectman (local councilor) is bald on top with silver hair flowing down the back of his head to his shoulders. A picture of a coiled cobra on his front door tells visitors: “Liberty or death — don’t tread on me.”

Next door, on her own porch, Deborah Howland sits working on a jigsaw. Her white hair is tied back and the collar of her red fleece is turned down.

When the 75-year-old divorcee moved back to the area a month ago, her son-in-law had asked whether it was sensible to choose a neighbor so open about having opposing views to her own.

“Driving around here, I see a lot of Trump signs,” she says, sitting on her picnic bench, her elbows on the wooden table top. “I am the extreme opposite to that.”

A nation divided

The two neighbors at the polar ends of the spectrum illustrate the deep divide in the U.S. ahead of the presidential election on Nov. 5.

Polls suggest the race between former president Trump and current Vice President Harris is neck and neck. Each side argues victory for their opponents would be a disaster for the nation.

Although Massachusetts is a safe Democratic state and therefore not a crucial battleground at this election, the 8,000-population town of Westminster is a bellwether community that tends to swing with the national winner. 

In 2016, when Trump first won the White House, Westminster backed the controversial businessman with 2,165 votes over 1,958 for his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton. But in 2020, when current President Joe Biden beat Trump nation-wide, Westminster plumped for the winner again, by 2,665 votes to 2,477. 

This schism is one of the few similarities between Westminster, Massachusetts, and its namesake more than 3,000 miles around the world: the political epicenter of the U.K. in London.

“In town it’s pretty split,” said a Westminster U.S. store owner who declined to be named. “I don’t think people are ripping each others’ faces off, but it’s definitely politically charged out there.”

Numerous residents blame the media for stoking similar divides across the States, while admitting to seeking outlets aligned with their own opinions to receive the news.

O’Toole watches pundits on Fox News, but Howland demands a change of channel if Fox is playing in the bars she visits.

She gave up cable TV at home after the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, because she stopped trusting the coverage. “I’m not going to carry on listening to these news channels anymore,” she thought.

Instead she reads Consortium News and Electronic Intifada — pro-Palestinian outlets. 

She said the bombardment of Gaza was her “red line” at the election and lists tightened restrictions on abortion as another reason to vote against Trump.

O’Toole is more concerned about immigration. He complained about local politicians allowing a hotel down the road to become a migrant center — it’s hosting up to 30 Haitian families via taxpayer funding.

“You drop 12 million people into the country; of course there’s going to be a housing issue,” he said. The statistic refers to illegal immigrants, despite the Haitians in the hotel having legal status.

The 51st state

The political divides in this sleepy Boston commuter town aren’t obvious to the passing observer.

When POLITICO visited, a few old-timers were putting up a marquee for a weekend “attic treasures sale.” The library was offering a session in “beekeeping 101.”

Most of the action happens on Main Street, where white slatted houses ranging from cottage to mansion size overlook pristine lawns. The homes grow sparse before fading into the forest at either end of town. The drive through takes no more than a few minutes. 

There are New England churches with sharp spires and the same white slats, plus a smattering of stores, gas stations and cafes, including a drive through Dunkin’ Donuts. Pickup trucks seem to breed along the connecting highways and byways.

Beyond Main Street lie a few quiet roads and a baseball green. A little further out, past an egg farm, there’s a rod and gun club — another similarity with Westminster in London. But while there are still plate and pin shooting sessions at the U.S. version, the parliamentary rifle range in gun-averse Britain has been mothballed for almost a decade.

The shots of espresso at Victoria Cafe in Westminster, Massachusetts, do however rival those in the U.K. political hangout Portcullis House. Artisan coffee is a pleasing find.

Owner Colby Chrusciel, 32, named the hangout after his Holocaust survivor grandmother. He roasts his own beans and boasts the best coffee for miles around. He even has an award to prove it.

Chrusciel didn’t know much about Westminster in Britain. “Is it a desirable area?” he asked. 

Few residents had knowledge about British politics. Some had heard of the odd U.K. politician, but little more.

The unnamed store owner quoted above said the name Boris Johnson — the former Conservative prime minister — did ring a bell. However: “I see that name but I don’t f***ing click on it.”

Reform UK Leader Nigel Farage was the sole British character O’Toole had heard of — via the MAGA cheerleader’s appearances on Fox. “I find him quite interesting. He’s a good speaker,” he said.

“I think bring back Jeremy Corbyn!” Howland cooed when asked about U.K. politics, referring to the far-left former leader of the UK Labour Party. 

MAGA madness

Such divided opinions have led to rows blowing up on the Westminster town Facebook group.

First, the cause was the restrictions around Covid, then the migrant hotel, then school kids choosing pronouns while questioning gender norms. That led to a bitter struggle over selections for school governors, amid skepticism about the values being taught in class.

Some residents argue it was Trump who made American politics a binary game — a product of his extreme character and all-or-nothing rhetoric.

Townspeople described each other as being in the Trump camp or outside it; caring about traditional values or being open to change; prone to freaking out about culture wars or able to ignore them.

Chrusciel, from the Victoria Cafe, said residents of rural communities such as Westminster often echo the traditional values of their parents.

“A lot of people don’t leave these smaller towns,” he said. “They just don’t have enough exposure to other things, or diverse opportunities.”

But exposure to other worlds doesn’t guarantee voters will support the Democrats.

Westminster Gas station owner Elias Daher grew up in Lebanon and plans to vote for Trump.

“She has no conviction! She’s a clown!” the 64-year-old fumed about Harris, arguing the vice president would be a servant of “corporate America” if she gets the top job.

But despite the deep differences, O’Toole argued there’s a kinship in the town that can rise above the political divide.

“It’s a community that will stick together when need be,” he said. “It’s able to put stuff aside.”

Indeed, political debates will be left at home during next month’s cracker festival — an annual event to celebrate a firm that began baking soup crackers in the town in 1828.

The business moved operations to Vermont decades ago. But its earliest building still stands on the eastern end of Main Street in Westminster — the name painted on its red slats serves as another reminder of London’s feverish political beating heart: Westminster Crackers.