Hometown Voices: Four Oaks residents weigh-in on Midterm Elections

FOUR OAKS, N.C. (WTVD) -- John Langdon is a third generation farmer in Four Oaks.

Cattle and hogs are his business, but he's also deeply tuned in to politics. ABC11 met him on the first stop of our Hometown Voices tour in a Johnston County community where 64 percent of voters cast a ballot for President Donald Trump in 2016.

"We'll put our senate and congresspeople against anyone in the nation that do an excellent job," said Langdon.

Langdon has up to 8,000 hogs on his property in Johnston County. The hogs are at the center of a trade dispute between Washington and China.

"Do you feel like you are a political pawn in this?" asked ABC11 anchor Steve Daniels. "Hog farmers have been targeted with retaliatory tariffs by China, in response to the Trump Administration tariffs on Chinese goods."

"That's a good question," said Langdon. "I don't know how to answer that. It's too much fog in the room. If we can get through it and survive it, we'll be in a better place for the next 20 years."

In the heart of town, ABC11 stopped by the Four Oaks Restaurant where lunch is served sunny-side up and there is a lot of support for what's happening in Washington.

"I'm satisfied with our President," said Four Oaks resident David Elam.

"We got more jobs, less unemployment, and the economy is doing better than it's done in a long time."

Another patron agreed.

"The people that I'm on Facebook with they're very pleased. I do think that President Trump is doing a good job," said Judy Lassiter.

Wanetta Dunn, a Democrat, has a different opinion.

"It's a mess to me. It's a mess. But other than that, that's all I can say, you know. I don't talk politics," said Dunn. "I would love to see things change, but I don't think they're going to change not no time soon. Maybe the next election."

Back on the farm, Langdon is focused on making sure he and other farmers get the help they need from Washington to overcome losses from Hurricane Florence.

"Eastern North Carolina is definitely in a struggle, and definitely need state and federal dollars and help," said Langdon. "Landowners and farmers can do the right thing, if they can just get the cash to overcome and move on. We've always been resilient."