Suburban GOP delegates Friday headed back home from the Republican National Convention, saying they felt energized and hopeful for the November election.
Former President Donald Trump spoke about the July 13 assassination attempt on him in a speech that delegates said showed his humanity.
“This is the most regenerating feeling,” said delegate Peter Kopsaftis, Barrington Township Republican committeeman after Trump’s acceptance speech Thursday. “We all have to work for one common goal — the American dream.”
Joliet resident and at-large delegate Jay Bergman said there was an “overwhelming enthusiasm and optimism” on the convention floor noting many believed Trump was divinely protected during the shooting.
“I have the feeling that the presidency is Trump’s to lose,” Bergman said.
The main criticism from some Republicans? The 93-minute speech went too long.
“Sixty minutes would’ve been enough,” Bergman said.
Trump’s speech appealed to working-class families concerned about the increasing cost of living, delegates added.
“The speech was really about the future and providing hope for people,” delegate and former Aurora alderman Rick Lawrence said.
Delegate Joe Folisi said he found Trump’s presentation was subdued.
“It wasn’t like a rally speech,” said Folisi, a Schaumburg Township Republican committeeman. “I think the shooting really changed it. He really moved the country forward. He did a great job.”
The convention also highlighted the party’s efforts to reach out to a wider variety of voters, some delegates said.
“I really liked … the way (Trump) and the convention appealed to so many different parts of America, so many different people from all these different walks of life,” outgoing Illinois GOP Chair Don Tracy said Friday.
Tracy and others noted the platform’s revised stance on abortion — switching from an all-out ban to saying abortion laws should be left to the states — could help in suburban areas that have, in recent years, favored Democratic candidates.
“The platform lays out the Trump agenda in a way that is more well-received in the suburbs,” Tracy said. “And if Trump does better in the suburbs that bodes well for down-ballot races.”
Trump’s speech Thursday also offered a stark contrast to President Joe Biden and a Democratic Party struggling to figure out a path to victory in November, delegates said.
“This is a well-organized, effective campaign that’s disciplined and on message,” said Richard Porter, a Winnetka resident and Illinois Republican national committeeman.
Others agreed.
“At this point in time in this country we need an individual that has the ability and is serious about addressing the problems that we face,” Lawrence said.