Politics
Six Questions We Asked 65 Republican Convention Attendees
With the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee this week, we wanted to learn how the party has changed and where it might be going, not from the officials who will give prime-time convention speeches, but in the words of some of its most committed members from across the country.
We spoke with 65 delegates and other attendees, a majority of whom were going to their first convention. We asked them their views on Donald J. Trump, the issues that drive them, what they’ve seen change, formative political moments, their favorite Republicans and who might be the next leader of the party. The initial conversations happened before the attempted assassination of Mr. Trump on Saturday, and we followed up with respondents at the convention.
1/6
How would you describe your feelings or level of enthusiasm about Donald Trump as the nominee?
Most of the attendees we spoke to said they were very enthusiastic about nominating him. Some said they were energized by his felony conviction in Manhattan in May. While the delegate selection process varies by state, the presumptive nominee has significant influence on who is chosen.
“This is a time where our country needs a hero, and I believe that Donald Trump is that hero.”
Jason Soseman, 52, Missouri
self-employed worker
“He has nothing to gain. He doesn’t need the money, he doesn’t need the jet, he doesn’t need the big house.”
Jeff Rawls, 59, Florida
construction company owner
“On a scale of one to a hundred for enthusiasm — one being I don’t want to leave the couch on Election Day and a hundred being that I would crawl over broken glass — I’m probably at a 99.”
AK Kamara, 40, Minnesota
contract courier
When asked at the convention how they felt about the shooting, many said they were even more determined to see Mr. Trump elected. Another common response was the belief that God had intervened to protect him. Some expressed hope that the political temperature would cool down, while others blamed the rhetoric of Mr. Trump’s detractors. “When you dehumanize people, it opens the door for others to take action in some ways,” said Matthew Rust, a delegate from Wisconsin.
In conversations leading up to the convention, some respondents expressed their support for Mr. Trump but acknowledged that he was not always their first choice, or that they preferred his policies to his personality.
“There were other candidates that I liked better, but of course I will still support him come November.”
Hayden Head, 20, Texas “I like the guy’s policies. As far as hanging out with him …”
Todd Gillman, 57, Michigan “Over the years he could have chosen his words a little more carefully about people, but the alternative is just really sad.”
Gwen Ecklund, 66, Iowa 
student 
disabled veteran
retiree
Just one participant said he was not at all enthusiastic about Mr. Trump. Jason Watts, a former district party treasurer who was impeached after telling The New York Times that he had not voted for Mr. Trump in 2016 or 2020, says he feels like an abandoned orphan in the party.
“It doesn’t serve our candidiates up and down the ticket if we are stuck with a cult of personality instead of a decipherable platform.”
Jason Watts, 47, Michigan
political consultant
2/6
Is there a particular issue that drives you toward or excites you about the Republican Party right now?
The economy was mentioned by more than 40 percent of respondents. Younger Republicans were more likely to be concerned about the cost of living. “It is near impossible to buy a home, to get married and afford to have kids,” said Stevie Giorno, a 24-year-old delegate from Tennessee.
“We are the crushed and destroyed generation, whether it’s on rent, whether it’s on quality of life, whether it’s on wages that have been far outstripped by inflation and the cost of living.” Kip Christianson, 33, Minnesota “The cost of living for Americans. And I think the national deficit is another issue that we’ve got to get under control.”
Logan Z. Glass, 22, Alabama “The ability to actually take care of your family, buy milk, pay an electric bill, not put everything on credit. That’s my biggest driving factor —survival.”
Bethany Wheeler, 45, Michigan 
donor adviser
county government official
government employee
Immigration was mentioned just as frequently (most respondents raised more than one driving issue), especially among older attendees. The responses track with a recent Times/Siena College poll in which more than half of Republicans said either the economy or immigration was the most important issue in deciding their vote.
Last week, Republican Party members approved a new, significantly pared down party platform reflective of Mr. Trump’s priorities. The document calls for mass deportations as well as sealing off the border to migrants.
“Trump’s policies when it comes to the Southern border and shutting it down is the No. 1 thing.”
Mike Crispi, 31, New Jersey “I just feel the country is just not safe anymore. You can say it’s partly because of all the people we let into the country that we just don’t know who they are.” Janice Fields, 55, New Jersey “I don’t think everybody coming into this country is bad, but we’ve got to have a process to vet these folks that come across that border.”
Susan Aiken, 71, South Carolina “My ancestors came also legally from many, many years back from Pakistan. If you want to come, you can come, but go through the legal channels. Don’t just cross the border.”
Arif Shad, 66, Alabama 
talk show host
retiree
retiree
retired customs agent
Several respondents talked about the size of government and the national debt, long-held Republican priorities that were largely dropped from the party’s platform.
Abortion came up less frequently in the survey. The new party platform softens the party’s stance on the issue, reflecting Mr. Trump’s recent position that it should be handled by the states, upsetting many anti-abortion activists.
A handful of respondents mentioned issues surrounding education, gender and sexuality, including the Biden administration’s revised Title IX rules. A few respondents included election integrity as important to them, or offered that they believed in the false claim that the 2020 election was stolen.
“You have grassroots conservatives who are getting activated, and a lot of the establishment Republicans — the old-style Republicans — are either stepping down or being pushed out.” Bob Witsenhausen, 62, New Mexico “Since 2016, I think it’s become more of a working-class party rather than a big business party.”
Matthew Bingesser, 29, Kansas “I don‘t think we’ve got the cohesiveness now that we had a dozen years ago.”
Jim Stalzer, 78, South Dakota 3/6
Is there something you’ve seen change in the party?
electrical contractor
attorney
state legislator
Nearly all of the respondents hold positions within their local or state parties, or are members of groups for young Republicans or Republican women. Some hold public office. Many acknowledged an internal struggle in the party stemming from an influx of conservative activists.
“We have a serious rise in purists that want everyone to agree with them 100 percent. They want to push every normal human out.”
Bethany Wheeler, 45, Michigan “Because of all the battles we’re fighting — with the health freedom, with Covid, with parental rights and all of that stuff — a lot more people have gotten involved.”
Rachel Cadena, 54, Iowa “I can say that the grass roots are finally heard. We’re finally taking over from the local party up to the national.”
David Lara, 58, Arizona “Some parts of the party have gotten very radical, and I don’t think they were like that during the Reagan days.”
Jennifer Cunningham, 46, South Carolina
government employee
insurance adjuster 
self-employed worker
child care director
Other respondents said they’d seen a sustained movement of the working class toward their party since blue-collar voters helped secure Mr. Trump’s victory in 2016.
“We had a reputation before of maybe the elite party, and now we’re the working person’s party. We’ve been more embracing of everyone.”
Deborah McMullen, 74, Florida
real estate broker, entrepreneur
“When you look at the millionaires that we have in the United States, most of them are running with the Democrat Party.”
Jack Ladyman, 77, Arkansas
state legislator
“Since the arrival of Trump at the scene, there has been a lot more voice to issues that are specific to our region, namely trade and loss of industry.”
Ian Shetron, 33, Michigan
finance operations manager
When it comes to foreign conflicts like in Gaza and Ukraine, they say today’s party is less willing to be involved.
“The Republicans were always the party of being pro-war, and Democrats were not. In the past four years or five years, there’s really been a shift there.”
Jake Hoffman, 33, Florida “Why don’t we take care of our own in our own country, before we spend millions outside of our country?” Juan Carlos Porras, 27, Florida 
Co-founder of a digital media company
state legislator, small business owner
Some, but not all, who mentioned diversity said it had increased. In surveys over the past year, Mr. Trump has improved his standing with young and nonwhite voters.
“The Republican Party is very much open to some different ideas, and more open to different kinds of people.”
Nina O’Neill, 60, District of Columbia “My Moms for Liberty group has seen a tremendous inpouring of younger people coming into the party and wanting to get involved.” Amber Schroeder, 42, Wisconsin “We don’t have a pipeline, a future. I am the only Native American going to the delegation for New Mexico, and the only one in the county party.”
Leanna Derrick, 56, New Mexico 
teacher
stay-at-home mom, political consultant
research analyst
4/6
Has there been a particularly meaningful or formative political moment in your life?
Most of the respondents said they had been Republicans their entire lives (or at least since they could vote). One said he campaigned door-to-door with his mother when he was still in the womb. Another recalled running a Reagan re-election campaign at his elementary school as a first grader.
“I remember going around third grade telling all my friends, ‘My mom is voting for Romney.’ And no one else was saying the same thing.”
Liliana Norkaitis, 20, Maryland
student
“I have this beautiful picture with my mom and me and Laura Bush, and each one of us holding one of my daughters. My mom was the one who did politics with me, and she passed away recently.”
Christine Peters, 47, New Hampshire
educator
On Richard Nixon: “I remember watching him leave the White House with my girlfriend; we were having a sleepover, and we were crying.”
Nina O’Neill, 60, District of Columbia
teacher
Researchers have estimated that the years between age 14 and 24 are the most formative in shaping political preferences. Many of the major national or world events cited by respondents as meaningful occurred during their young adult years. Karl Von Batten, a 37-year-old lobbyist in Washington, remembered that after Sept. 11: “President George Bush got on a bullhorn and made a call for action. I joined the Army after that.”
“The Brett Kavanaugh hearings. Personally, I thought that there wasn’t much evidence to these accusations. I felt it was politically motivated.”
Sydney Salatto, 25, Florida “The disasterous withdrawal from Afghanistan in the Biden administration.” Bill G. Schuette, 28, Michigan “I remember seeing the Elián González saga every day on TV and going with my parents to the solidarity marches.”
Kevin M. Cabrera, 33, Florida “When Reagan became president. I really felt a connection to the party at that time.”
Deborah McMullen, 74, Florida 
grass-roots organizer
state legislator
Miami-Dade county commissioner
real estate broker, entrepreneur
For most, an election or a campaign event activated their involvement. For the few who were not lifelong Republicans, these moments motivated them to join the party.
“The Ron Paul campaign in 2008 gave me the conservative bug.”
Jon Smith, 46, Michigan “The Dan Quayle political rally in Farmington, N.M.”
Gerrick Wilkins, 46, Alabama “In 2019, President Trump came to Bossier to endorse Eddie Rispone and had a rally. I’ve been in politics since I was 13. It was the highlight of my life.”
Parker Ward, 32, Louisiana “The election of Ronald Reagan and the optimism that he brought to the country. Shortly after that, the rise of Rush Limbaugh, who day after day explained the virtues of conservative doctrine.”
Dean Black, 58, Florida “Hosting Pat Buchanan for my first political fund-raiser. When you fast-forward 16 years later, Trump won on the policies that Buchanan advocated for in that campaign.” Dan Mason, 46, Oregon 
online salesperson
automotive consultant 
property manager
state legislator, small business owner
property manager
The pandemic was also frequently mentioned.
“During Covid, I think everybody saw what a lot of us felt was overreach of the government and other institutions.”
Matthew Rust, 55, Wisconsin “Our kids were starting to be locked out of schools, and we saw this tremendous amount of learning loss happening in our public education system. That really woke me up. I actually ended up recalling four school board members.” Amber Schroeder, 42, Wisconsin 
product developer
stay-at-home mom, political consultant
5/6
Which Republican figure do you consider your favorite, or think aligns most closely with your positions?
Many respondents mentioned Mr. Trump. But more than half, including those born long after his presidency, mentioned Ronald Reagan. “Any true Republican should hold Reagan in the highest regard,” said Arik Amundsen, a 24-year-old delegate from Oklahoma.
“Reagan, of course. I just think he was the full package — he was charismatic but he was also rhetorically sound in everything he said.”
Sandy Graves, 68, Florida “He was able to disagree with folks without being disagreeable.”
Dan Schuberth, 40, District of Columbia “I feel like the circumstances are somewhat similar in the sense that as gracious as Jimmy Carter was, he was not a good president. And Ronald Reagan brought back a lot of the economy and so forth that was in a mess.”
Renée Gentle Powers, 72, Alabama 
retiree 
executive
retiree
Many people couldn’t name just one favorite. In all, they mentioned 40 Republicans. These were named more than once:
There were a wide range of others mentioned once, including several home-state lawmakers.
On the former representative Fred Upton of Michigan: “A willingness to compromise to get to the best solutions is something I think we’ve lost.”
Jason Watts, 47, Michigan “I love Tucker Carlson. He’ll speak truth to the media. He’ll do a lot things that most journalists will never do.”
Carson M. Butler, 27, Alabama On Representative Daniel Webster of Florida: “He’s not sexy — he’s no Matt Gaetz. But he’s a gentleman, he’s a worker, works behind the scenes, he gets things done. People in both parties respect him.”
Ralph Smith, 67, Florida
political consultant
electrician 
tire store owner
6/6
Is there someone you see as the next leader of the party after Trump?
Participants named 25 people they thought had potential to lead the party after Mr. Trump. Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida received the most mentions, from more than one-third of respondents.
“We’re huge fans of Ron DeSantis down here in Florida.” Jake Hoffman, 33, Florida “I’ve found myself wanting to be a citizen of Florida at times, because they have a strong leader who gets things accomplished for his citizenry.”
Aaron Bullen, 37, Utah “I think it could be someone like DeSantis. It could be someone like Tulsi Gabbard, maybe Kristi Noem.”
Lori Martinez, 63, Arizona
Co-founder of a digital media company
engineer
mortgage loan originator and property manager
These responses were compiled before Senator J.D. Vance of Ohio was announced as Mr. Trump’s running mate, with some attendees saying they were waiting to see who the choice would be. The most common names mentioned after Mr. DeSantis were Vivek Ramaswamy, Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina, and the former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley — all onetime primary contenders.
“Tim Scott was unknown to so many of us. Really like him.”
Mack N. Butler, 61, Alabama “The only thing I could see as far as competence-wise … maybe one of the boys, maybe Don Jr., or Eric.”
Jason Mikkelborg, 51, Michigan “I see a lot of people up and coming, like Vivek Ramaswamy. I think he could really make an impact in the future. A lot of people right now probably just think he’s too young.”
Taylor Broyles, 26, Oklahoma 
state legislator, small business owner
disabled combat veteran 
county employee
More than 20 percent of participants did not name anyone with the potential to take up Mr. Trump’s mantle.
“I hate to keep bringing up Reagan, but I want someone who has the ability to bring people from the other side to a place where we can find more solutions.”
William Wallis, 56, Louisiana “If somebody tells you, ‘Well, so and so is the heir apparent,’ well they’re just talking, because they don’t have any basis in which to say that.”
John H. Merrill, 60, Alabama “We have so much talent, and we’ll have to see. Four years is an eternity in politics.”
Dean Black, 58, Florida 
radio show host 
Alabama secretary of state from 2015 to 2023
state legislator, small business owner