The Great Divide: Economy, immigration, other major issues at forefront

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Europe

02:18

Five states in 10 days, including the three that critically sealed the presidency for Donald Trump: Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.

But first Illinois, where trade tariffs are on farmer Ralph Coffman's mind as he brings in the soybean harvest. Now that the market to China has collapsed, he may not be planting them anymore.

RALPH COFFMAN FARMER "We might give up on soybeans, yeah. If we don't see a market improvement in the price. If we got some other countries to come in and replace China that would help the market and move some of these beans out- but there's just too many soybeans."

As we arrive in Wisconsin, we hear from the sitting senator, Tammy Baldwin. She tells CGTN reciprocal tariffs from Mexico and China are killing the state's dairy industry.

TAMMY BALDWIN US SENATOR, DEMOCRAT "Mexico was 25% of the export market for cheese. That has gone away."

But in Michigan, auto worker and staunch Republican Brian Pannebecker backs the US President and the trade wars he has started.

BRIAN PANNEBECKER AUTO UNION MEMBER "It's been a long time since we've had leadership who would go toe-to-toe with our trading partners, making sure we are getting fair deals to try and keep our jobs here so we can export our products that we built to other countries."

Immigration is on minds in this growing Hispanic community in Abbotsford, Wisconsin - thriving, though a recent immigration raid worried many.

JOSE AREAS MEXICAN IMMIGRANT "You see right that, know that there are people right now- when they came there was no people."

And in Pennsylvania, we found the former mayor of a fading steel town, Monessen, angry that despite a visit by then-candidate Donald Trump in 2016, his community is still dying.

LOUIS MAVRAKIS FORMER MAYOR OF MONESSEN, PENNSYLVANIA "Nobody's done a damn thing. It doesn't make any difference whether you are a Democrat or a Republican, the two-party system doesn't work for communities like this."

And then tragedy, while we were in Pittsburgh. Eleven dead at a synagogue in the neighborhood of Squirrel Hill. Gun violence and hate crimes become election issues once again.