VOA慢速英语：弗吉尼亚县将在总统竞选中发挥重要作用

Virginia County Could Play Major Role in Presidential Race

弗吉尼亚县将在总统竞选中发挥重要作用

Virginia is one of the so-called “swing” or “battleground” states in the 2016 presidential election. Voters there could decide whether Republican Donald Trump or Democrat Hillary Clinton becomes president.

弗吉尼亚是2016总统竞选中所谓的“摇摆”或“战场”的几个州之一。那里的选民能决定是共和党人唐纳德·特朗普还是民主党人希拉里·克林顿当上总统。

The town of Leesburg, Virginia holds many memories of the past. In many places, it looks like the Virginia that voted for many years for Republicans in presidential elections.

里斯堡镇是弗吉尼亚的一个古老城镇。正如弗吉尼亚州一样，在这个古老城镇的许多地方，人们多年来一直在总统竞选中投票给共和党人。

But Virginia is changing. Democratic candidates for president know that it is no longer a state Republican presidential candidates know they will win.

但是弗吉尼亚正在改变。民主党总统候选人知道，在这个州，共和党总统候选人不再胜券在握了。

Craig Green is a Clinton supporter.

克雷格·格林是克林顿的支持者。

Green is a Democratic activist in Loudoun County. Loudoun County is a part of northern Virginia that has changed due to the growth of the high-tech industry and a rise in the number of foreign skilled workers.

格林是劳登县的一名民主党的活跃分子。劳登县位于弗吉尼亚北部，由于高科技产业的发展和外国技工数量的增长，弗吉尼亚北部已经发生了变化。

Green says the changing demographics will help Democrats and hurt Republicans.

格林称人口统计方面的变化会对民主党有所助益，而损害共和党的利益。

“I went canvassing this weekend, and pretty much universally it was, ‘Oh, that Trump guy, there is no way I could vote for him.’”

“我周末拉票去了，非常概括的说”，‘哦，特朗普那个家伙，我绝不可能投票给他。’

From 1968 to 2004, the county voted for Republican presidential candidates. But in 2008 and 2012, Barack Obama won Virginia with the help of Loudoun County.

从1968年到2004年，这个县一直给共和党候选人投票。但是在2008年和2012年，巴拉克·奥巴马在劳登县的支持下赢得了弗吉尼亚州的票选。

The U.S. Census Bureau reports that 15 percent of the county’s population is Asian. Green notes many African, Indian and Chinese families also live in the county.

据美国人口统计局报告，该县15%的人口是亚洲人。格林解释道，许多非洲、印度和中国家庭也居住在这个县。

Sri Amudhanar is a software engineer. He is a Democrat and a Clinton supporter. He came to the United States almost 30 years ago. He says the county’s growing immigrant population is affecting the politics of Virginia.

Sri Amudhanar是一位软件工程师。他是民主党人也是克林顿的支持者。他在约30年前来到美国。他说该县正在增长的移民数量正在影响弗吉尼亚州的政治。

“They take an oath of citizenship when they become Americans, and that's a very solemn process. It's a very moving process, and we have all gone through that, and that binds us to America very, very strongly and to its values, and one of the values is that everybody is really equal.”

“当移民美国的时候，他们宣誓成为美国公民，那是一个非常庄严的过程。那是一个非常感人的过程，我们都经历过那一切，那使我们与美国牢牢捆绑在一起、与它的‘人人都真正平等’的价值观牢牢捆绑在一起。”

Even though the state’s demographics are changing, Donald Trump is working hard to win in Virginia.

即使这个州的人口在发生变化，唐纳德·特朗普仍然在努力争取赢得弗吉尼亚票选。

Leesburg restaurant owner Bryan Crosswhite is a Trump supporter.

里斯堡的一位饭店老板布莱恩·柯洛司沃特是一位特朗普的支持者。

“He resonates because he's a straight-talker. He speaks the truth whether you like it or not. He’s going to tell you what he thinks.”

“他能让我们与他产生共鸣，因为他是一个心直口快的人。不论你喜欢与否，他都会说出事实。他将会告诉你他的想法。”

More than 150 years ago Virginia was the site of many battles during the Civil War. Today, it is a different kind of battleground. The state is changing, and an increasingly diverse population is writing a new chapter in America's story.

150多年前内战期间，在弗吉尼亚发生了很多次战役。今天，它成为了另一种意义上的战场。这个州在发生变化，越来越多样化的人口状况正在美国故事里写下新的篇章。

I’m Jonathan Evans.

乔纳森·埃文斯报道。