When Ted Cruz dropped out of the presidential race, members of the Monroe County GOP didn’t bother to turn up the volume on Buffalo Wild Wings’ televisions to hear him.
The Bloomington Republicans didn’t display any major reaction to the news of Donald Trump’s victory, nor to the news of the party’s other major candidate dropping out. They kept to themselves or focused on results of local races, seeming unsurprised by the night’s national developments.
“It’s kind of fragmented in here,” said Steven Aranyi, a member of the IU College Republicans.
Trump’s win was solidified early Tuesday evening, when he secured 52.8 percent of the primary vote. Cruz received 36.9 percent and John Kasich received 7.7 percent.
During his victory speech, Trump heralded Cruz’s efforts while claiming he was witnessing a flood of support.
“I want to congratulate Ted Cruz," Trump said. "He is a tough smart competitor and he’s doing the right thing. We need unity in this party. But people you wouldn’t believe, the media and the press won’t believe it, are calling to say they want to get on the Trump train.”
Crammed in a corner, the four IU College Republicans discussed the nature of the election, monitoring results on their phones and keeping up with various local races.
“Honestly, the worst part is that I know I’m just gonna walk back into my house tonight and get heckled by everybody,” Aranyi said.
Over wings, they talked about their surprise at Trump’s success since the beginning of his campaign.
“I thought Trump would be around for a couple months and we’d have a good laugh,” Marcus Kroh said.
As they searched for confirmation on Cruz’s suspension, they read aloud Facebook posts and tweets.
“Ted Cruz quit his campaign to concentrate full time on being the Zodiac Killer,” one read.
Despite not being able to hear, they watched the two televisions that were displaying primary results. The other five were showing baseball.
“He looks like he’s about to cry,” Aranyi said, as Cruz took to the podium. Aranyi had supported Cruz, and had met him twice as he campaigned in Indiana.
All the students expressed their appreciation for the attention Indiana has gotten on a national scale.
“Indiana is usually so Republican that it’s already decided by the primary so it’s been strange to see Bernie and Ted Cruz spending their time here, since candidates would usually rather spend their time in Virginia, Ohio or Florida,” Kyle Osting said.
At one point, Rep. Jeff Ellington, Republican (D-62), stopped by the IU College Republicans table, telling them they were witnessing a unique moment in the party’s history with Trump’s success. The students had little to offer in response.
Ellington said this election cycle was unlike any other, since Indiana was playing a larger role than it ever has in the primary races. He said in past elections, candidates would fly in on jets for $500 appearances. Now, candidates are more accessible with multiple open campaign stops around the state.
Since none of them had supported Trump, the four students agreed to support Kasich individually until Trump is named the Republican party’s nominee.
They debated whether, if it came down to it, they would be willing to support Trump in the general election.
“Well, I guess it’s about time to decide if we jump on the Trump train,” Kroh said.
“I think we have to support Kasich for as long as possible, though,” Aranyi said.
“Absolutely,” Kroh replied.
Although they were distressed by the night’s results, they said they were not caught off guard.
“At the end of the day, nothing should surprise anybody after the Trump campaign,” Kroh said.
The students turned back to their phones, sighing and exchanging jokes about their candidate’s losses.
“It’s gonna be a miserable night,” Aranyi said.
