For much of the presidential race, USC junior Mary Perez rooted for the two Rs: Marco Rubio and Rand Paul. Perez, like many of her peers, hoped longtime frontrunner Donald Trump’s fame would fade. But as the Republican presidential field continues to dwindle, Perez faces a tough decision this fall.
Republican Donald Trump walloped Marco Rubio in the senator's home state of Florida Tuesday night, forcing him to resign. Trump went on to pick up Illinois and North Carolina.
The billionaire developer lost one big state to its favorite son, however. Governor John Kasich handily trumped Trump in Ohio.
Kasich vows to fight on, as does Texas Senator Ted Cruz, but it’s Donald Trump who holds the best chance of gaining a majority of the delegates. That could mean a bruising fight at the Republican convention this summer. But if Trump emerges victorious, Perez says she knows what she’ll do.
“I decided that I’m going to stick with my principles … I’m just going to write in a candidate’s name,” Perez said. “I don’t feel like I would be serving my party correctly if I voted for Donald Trump.”
A political science major and member of the USC GOP, Perez says she thoroughly researches issues before voting. When she looks at the Trump campaign, she sees a man who rode a wave of anger to victory.
“I’ve never seen someone that can just bring [in] a whole group of Republicans who probably would have never supported Donald Trump a long time ago,” Perez said. “But now all of the sudden, with President Obama’s administration you see divisiveness, and I think what Donald Trump was doing right was attracting a base that normally wasn’t ready to speak and involve themselves in the political process.”
Perez says Trump’s presence overshadowed the Republican race, sending establishment favorites like Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio packing.
“Had Donald Trump not been in this race, I think we could have seen Marco Rubio definitely be the nominee in June,” Perez said.
She admits, however, that Rubio’s recent decision to match Trump’s insults fatally poisoned his otherwise auspicious campaign — an opinion echoed by GOP analysts.
“I think that was actually a disadvantage for Marco Rubio,” Perez said.
In a speech Tuesday evening, Senator Ted Cruz made an appeal to Rubio supporters, encouraging them to stand for his campaign. Cruz could be the party’s last hope for slowing Trump’s momentum. Perez doesn’t have high hopes, however.
When asked who she would write in if Trump becomes the party nominee, Perez thoughtfully replied, “I don’t know. I don’t know, A. I’m not sure.”