It’s Tuesday, March 15 of spring break in South Florida. My friend Paige and I are listening to the radio and hear that Hillary Clinton will be holding an event at the Palm Beach County Convention Center, coincidentally nearby.
Out of all five states that she was up against Sanders in on that day, she chose to be in Florida and in Palm Beach county. We knew we had to go.
We had never been to a campaign rally, though. I was looking forward to seeing not only what it was like to actually be at all the Hillary rallies that I see on the news, but also just to be at a presidential campaign in general.
There were many unknowns that night. The only piece of information we really knew for certain was that doors to the event opened at 6:30 p.m. We had no idea how long we might be waiting, if the event was seated, what time she would come on to speak, or even if she was going to win the Florida primary that night. The result would definitely change the tone of her appearance and the atmosphere in general.
After a short Secret Service checkpoint, we were led up to the Grand Ballroom where the event was taking place. The atmosphere was energetic and exciting, with a band playing many of her “classic” campaign songs in the background, such as "Fight Song" by Rachel Platten. The media filled the back of the room while the general public filled the middle and her volunteers filled the front.
While we waited for her to speak, a projected screen was rolling CNN live as the results were coming in from all the states. Occasionally, CNN would broadcast live from where we were and from various other rallies that night, such as a nearby Trump rally.
As the results for each state came through, the crowd went wild, especially for Florida. It made everyone all the more pumped up to be in the same room as the women who was winning key states.
Everyone that we met in the crowd seemed to be passionate Hillary supporters. Many held signs or sported merchandise, which was also being sold at the event. People of all ages showed up to the event, many about to experience a Hillary event for the first time ever.
After watching people come up to her podium to place water and her speech, she finally came on at about 9 p.m. She spoke for approximately 16 minutes, first greeting the crowd and thanking all the voters who helped her to win Florida and then passionately speaking about what she believes the next president must accomplish.
After standing for almost three hours and hearing her speak for 16 minutes, you may be wondering why this experience was worth it. Hillary aside, the whole time I felt like I was a part of something larger. People came out that day after exercising their right to have a say in who they believe should be the next democratic nominee.
Hearing her words and being there in person had a larger impact than simply watching highlights the next day on CNN. Although I have seen her in person a few times, it personified her even more for me. Sometimes these presidential candidates can begin to feel like robots who appear at debates and say the same things over and over again. It was refreshing getting a taste of this process in person. Lastly, it reminded me that this process is getting serious.
I can’t speak about a Trump rally, or a Cruz rally or a Sanders rally because I’m sure they are all different. For me, the whole experience in general really made me feel like I was a part of the democratic process taking place within this country.
If there is an event for the candidate you support taking place near you, I encourage you to go. It is not only an exciting atmosphere to be apart of, but also a learning experience that allows you to be a part of a little piece of history.
