It's day one of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio. 

Delegates from the Golden State put their dedication to democracy on display early when, after lengthy flights, they were made to stay 60 miles outside of Cleveland in the town of Sandusky. GOP devotees were bussed to the Quicken Loans Arena. 

On board one of those buses was 22-year-old Donald Trump delegate Claire Chiara, a senior at UC Berkeley. Chiara said that, initially, the sheltering arrangement left some delegates upset.

"I think that the initial reaction was a little bit of frustration, but when the delegation found out that we, as the largest delegation from the convention... were gonna be staying in an indoor water park... I think that people really warmed up to the idea."

Just moments off the bus, Chiara described the scene as "absolutely electric," with fellow delegates snapping photos nearby. "You can tell that everyone is feeling very patriotic and proud to be able to be a part of this," she said. 

Chiara may be one of the state's youngest delegates, but she's no stranger to Republican politics. At Berkeley, she double majors in economics and political science. She's finance director for the California Young Republican Federation, and a candidate for State Assembly, District 15. 

Chiara says Donald Trump wasn't her first choice at this time last year, but he was in the running.

"When you have a field with almost 20 different Republican candidates running about a year out, obviously when you get to June, your top choice is probably not going to be the top person on the ballot,"  Chiara said.

Chiara's shortlist included Scott Walker, Marco Rubio, and John Kasich. 

"Early on, I decided that I wasn't gonna pick an early favorite, but I had four candidates that I was willing to support; one of them was Donald Trump. When he became our — essential — presumptive nominee in May, I decided I was already in favor of him, and now I'm going to stand behind him, and I do," she said. 

Chiara says it was Trump's stance on gay rights that sealed the deal for her. 

"Donald Trump has been cited by quite a few journalists now as being the most pro-LGBTQ Republican presidential nominee in history, and I think that's a great characterization of him. He is very moderate on those issues," she said. 

When asked about running mate Mike Pence's past opposition to LGBTQ equality, Chiara was unperturbed.

"I don't think Donald Trump's gonna go back on 20 years of supporting the gay community because of his vice presidential pick."

Press the blue play button above to hear the full interview.