A crowd of about 150 turned out Thursday night for the final debate watching party of the primary season before Georgia votes on Tuesday. The event was hosted by the Atlanta Young Republicans and the Georgia Tech Young Republicans. Despite it being a “young Republican” hosted event, it was open to everyone and there was a noticeable mix of ages present. Talking to attendees prior to the start of the debate, there was a good mix of support present. Two Trump supporters, a long-time Republican octogenarian man and a middle-aged former Democrat woman, came from vastly different backgrounds but both are strong Trump supporters.
Judging by the number of stickers worn by attendees, the crowd may have been slightly heavier on the Rubio side. Indeed, the straw poll confirmed Rubio’s support.
112 voted in the straw poll and Rubio picked up 48 of the votes, 43% of the vote. Ted Cruz came in 2nd with 22% of the vote. The man who has caused so much furor in the race, both for and against, Donald Trump came in third with 20%. Kasich got 14%. If you’re doing the math, the one candidate remaining, Ben Carson got a whopping 1%. But as of this writing, Ben Carson is sticking to it with no whispers of him dropping out.
Kasich fans, asked about if they were concerned that a vote for the Ohio governor may take away votes from another candidate not named Trump, admitted some concern but generally remained committed to their man. One Kasich fan noted that a lot of people express admiration for him but are worried he can’t win, if those people would just vote for him, then maybe things would be different.
Rubio supporters expressed hope that he would be best to win in the general election. Several Rubio supporters were formerly for Jeb! but switched allegiances a few months ago as the former Florida governor’s campaign lagged.
Prior to the debate, Georgia GOP Chairman John Padgett welcomed the crowd and thanked them for their support of the Republican Party. Lynne Riley, former representative from Johns Creek and now Revenue Commissioner, was also in attendance.
During the debate itself, the crowd was generally focused and quiet but there were a few moments that got some good applause. Rubio’s attack line about Trump repeating himself and his seeming lack of details on his healthcare policy got some good reaction from the crowd. Trump’s line that he was the only one on stage who had actually hired anyone also got good reaction.
Angelyn Dionysatos, President of the Atlanta Young Republicans, was pleased with the turnout but not surprised to see some extra attendees during a presidential year. “We always see an uptick of participation in presidential years. It’s a great opportunity to get new members but we want to work and make sure they stick around after the election and continue to work with the club going forward,” said Dionysatos.
