Features

This just in: Republicans in Berkeley? and they went to the convention!

Chris Krohn
Monday July 25, 2016 - 10:06:00 AM

Berkeley infiltrated the Republican National Convention (RNC). Claire Chiara and Natalie Davis, both students at Cal, were in Cleveland representing the Republicans of the 13th congressional district as Trump delegates. They are part of an ever-shrinking Bay Area species, a Berkeley Republican. The Berkeley city manager’s web page reports that only 4% of the 80,963 registered voters in Berkeley are Republicans, narrowly beating out Green voters by one percentage point. 

With 172 delegates and 169 alternates, the California GOP delegation was by far the largest at the Republican convention. 

Chiara and Davis seemed comfortable, yet perhaps a bit awed by the convention glitz and glamour when I met them on floor of the Quicken Loans Arena. But who wouldn’t be? The place was packed with more than twenty thousand delegates, media and onlookers, and the Republican nominee for President of the United States was going to take the stage in two hours, only about fifty feet from these women. 

Davis, a political science major who works in the state legislature, even had a leadership position within the delegation. She was the “whip,” and on the very last night of the RNC she was pacing the aisle wearing her appointed greenish neon hat over a sleeveless black dress. Part of the whip job is not to respond to the press but to direct inquiries to other delegates. 

“I can’t talk to you right now, but I can find someone who can, what do you need?” she asked firmly, but politely. I later found a snarky retweet comment on Davis’ Twitter feed that reads: “Bernie Sanders endorsing Crooked Hillary Clinton is like Occupy Wall Street endorsing Goldman Sachs.” I regret not having been able to converse with her more. 

The California folks were on their feet clapping, stomping, whooping it up, and otherwise showing outsized support for whoever it was speaking on the main stage--it didn’t seem to matter. Their rambunctious nature reminded me of a European soccer game, where the fans stand for the entire game. Up, down, and up again. 

This group of California Republicans is lively, and at times it has been unruly. When Sen. Ted Cruz failed to endorse Donald Trump in his lengthy floor speech, they let him have it with a loud chorus of boos. 

Davis finally found Chiara, a senior majoring in economics and political science. Shewas sitting around the third row center in the sprawling California delegation. It’s a prized location. If this had been a concert Chiara’s seat would be among the highest priced tickets. 

Davis moved her arms to signal to Chiara that she was wanted by the media and pointed to me standing in the aisle. The crowd sounds were deafening. Chiara wiggled past other delegates. Space is tight as chairs had been set closer together other yielding minimal leg room for delegates. Chiara recently ran unopposed in this year’s June assembly primary in California’s 15th district, so following the Top Two rules she will go up against unopposed Democratic incumbent Tony Thurmond in the November election. 

Chiara previously expressed her opinions on feminism and marginalized Republican students at Cal through the op-ed pages of the Daily Californian. In one article she wrote, “As a 22-year-old female Republican UC Berkeley student, I am consistently trivialized for my beliefs, dismissed and marginalized by my own communities — students, women, young people, Bay Area residents.” She also wrote about feeling shut down in what arguably should be one of the free-est and most open academic environments in America. “On campus, my beliefs are fodder for mockery by both professors and students alike, and, rather than engage in debate with me, I am instead dismissed without any inquiry into the validity of my positions.” Tough stuff. 

As she approached I wanted to ask her about being politically isolated in Berkeley, especially since most observers might expect Cal to be open both politically intellectually. Born in New Jersey and raised in Redondo Beach in Southern California, Chiara came to Cal in 2013. At 22, she was the youngest California delegate. 

At first, she seemed surprised that someone from Berkeley wanted to interview her. “No, I’m not familiar with the paper,” she said. 

I told her I read a piece she wrote in the Daily Cal and sympathized with feelings she expressed about having her political views shut down by professors and fellow students. “UC Berkeley prides itself on being part of the Free Speech Movement, but that it is not representative of the campus now.. I feel like there should be a place to discuss [dissenting] opinions.” 

And what do you think of the convention, I asked. 

“I love it. I am so fortunate to be the youngest delegate for California.” she said. 

“We are the biggest delegation,” she says taking a long breath as she looks out over the small sea of California Republicans—the 15th C.D. , she lamented in one of her op-eds, is only 7% GOP— “and there’s 100% pledged delegates for Trump here.” 

"How is it you find yourself here supporting Trump?" I asked. 

“It’s very surreal, at such a young age to participate at this grassroots level,” she repeated. having probably been reminded often by other delegates. “I’m in the College Republicans so that’s one way I got involved. ” 

She is pro-choice and supports gay marriage. Trump does too she says. 

She says she harbors few regrets and would still come to Berkeley if she had it to do all over. Back at Berkeley “I’m not talking anyone into changing their mind, I’m just asking them to be open to new voices.” She seems to believe Trump is one of those new voices.