MILWAUKEE, Wis. — The Republican National Convention is underway in Milwaukee, and Utah is represented there on the national stage.
With this year's political climate and Saturday’s assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, some say this year's convention does feel a little different.
"There’s so much excitement and energy and I can’t even tell you how great it is. It almost feels like a rock concert, but we're trying to make our country great,” said Brad Bonham, a National Committeeman from Utah.
Gayle Ruzicka is a national delegate-at-large and has been coming to Republican National Conventions since 1992.
"My husband is with me as an alternate delegate. We brought a granddaughter with us and it’s just something we enjoy doing as a family," she said.
But Ruzicka said this year's convention feels unlike those she's attended in the past.
"Lot of grateful people, lots of prayers, and lots of people just grateful that things weren't worse, yet a terrible tragedy of a young father who was killed,” she said.
Some say there has been heightened security too.
"We were here last week and security was a top concern even before what happened just a couple days ago. But certainly law enforcement has been ever-present here,” said Bonham. “I know that certain zones have been moved back. This might be the most secure place on the face of the earth right now. They’re not taking any chances; they're taking it very seriously, and we’ve felt that for sure."
But Utah's representation remains strong.
"We have about 140 or 150 Utahns that are out here," said Robert Axson, the chairman of the Utah Republican Party. "All of them are going to be coming home, they’re going to be sharing these messages and they’re going to be inviting their friends and families and neighbors to come off the sidelines and be part of the process."
They hope to continue to get people involved in the political process — even before getting their ballots.
"To really put forward what’s that message that we want to take into November to make the case to the American public why they need to vote for Donald Trump and vote for Republicans up and down their ballot,” said Axson.
"It’s just an exciting time and an opportunity to be with other Republicans and talk about things we believe in and things we want to see happen” added Ruzicka.
