CONVENTION.
>> PARIS, THANK YOU.
MANY REPUBLICAN DELEGATES WILL
BE WATCHING THE CONVENTION FROM
THEIR COUCHES THIS WEEK MISSING
THE USUAL EXCITEMENT OF
CONVENTION PARTIES, NETWORKING
AND IN THIS CASE, SEEING THE
PRESIDENT ON STAGE.
JOINING US AS PART OF OUR
SPECIAL COVERAGE OF THE RNC ARE
TWO FIRST TIME DELEGATES, MARIA
VASQUEZ A CHAIRMAN WITH
CHAMPAIGN COUNTY YOUNG
REPUBLICANS AND KEVIN SUGGS A
COMMITTEEMAN WITH THE BREMEN UP
TO REPUBLICAN ORGANIZATION.
WELCOME TO "CHICAGO TONIGHT."
LAST NIGHT, SOUTH CAROLINA
SENATOR TIM SCOTT SPOKE ABOUT
HIS GRANDFATHER AND THE
SIGNIFICANCE OF HIM HAVING HIS
OWN SEAT.
>> HE SUFFERED THE INDIGNITY OF
BEING FORCED OUT OF SCHOOL AS A
THIRD GRADER TO PICK COTTON AND
HE NEVER LEARNED TO READ OR
WRITE.
YET HE LIVED LONG ENOUGH TO SEE
HIS GRANDSON BECOME THE FIRST
AFRICAN-AMERICAN TO BE ELECTED
TO BOTH THE UNITED STATES HOUSE
AND THE UNITED STATES SENATE IN
THE HISTORY OF THIS COUNTRY.
OUR FAMILY WENT FROM COTTON TO
CONGRESS IN ONE LIFETIME.
>> KEVIN SUGGS, THE RNC TRIED TO
SHOW DIVERSITY AMONG THE PARTY
LAST NIGHT.
THE STRATEGY WORK FOR THE
REPUBLICANS?
>> I BELIEVE SO.
BECAUSE EVERY SPEAKER LAST NIGHT
REMEMBER LOOKING AT ALL OF THEM
WAS FROM A DIVERSE BACKGROUND.
EVERY OTHER NATIONALITY TOO AS
WELL.
INDIANS, SO THAT WAS A GREAT
POSITION TO SHOW THAT WE ARE A
PARTY OF DIVERSITY.
>> MARIA VASQUEZ IS THERE A
POLICY OR ISSUE THAT YOU ARE
PARTICULARLY EAGER TO HEAR ABOUT
THIS WEEK?
>> AS FAR AS THIS WEEK THERE'S
JUST SO MANY THINGS THAT NEED TO
BE COVERED.
AS FAR AS THE FIRST NIGHT GOES,
I THINK IT WAS A GREAT
INTRODUCTION FOR INSPIRATION FOR
MINORITIES FOR IMMIGRANTS, FOR
WOMEN AND FOR VETERANS IN THIS
COUNTRY YOU KNOW A MESSAGE OF
POSITIVITY THAT THESE ARE
REAL-LIFE STORIES FROM TRUE
AMERICANS THAT LOVE THIS COUNTRY
AND VIEWERS AT HOME LIKE MYSELF
OR YOU KNOW, MY SON OR
MINORITIES REALLY CAN INSPIRE
AND SAY YOU KNOW WHAT?
IF THEY MADE IT SO CAN I.
A CUBAN IMMIGRANT LIVING IN
MIAMI HE SPOKE LAST NIGHT ABOUT
WHAT IT MEANS TO LIVE THE
AMERICAN DREAM.
>> DECIDE MY FATE, ME.
NOT SOME GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL.
NOT SOME BUREAUCRAT.
IN AMERICA, I WILL DECIDE MY OWN
FUTURE.
I AM SO GRATEFUL TO AMERICA.
THE PLACE WHERE I WAS ABLE TO
BUILD MY AMERICAN DREAM THROUGH
HARD WORK AND DETERMINATION.
PRESIDENT TRUMP KNOWS THAT THE
AMERICAN STORY WAS REDONE BY
PEOPLE LIKE YOU AND I WHO LOVE
OUR COUNTRY.
AND A RISK TO BUILD A FUTURE FOR
OUR FAMILIES AND NEIGHBORS.
>> MARIA VASQUEZ WHAT IS THE
AMERICAN DREAM THAT REPUBLICANS
ARE TALKING ABOUT THIS WEEK AND
ENVISIONING?
>> WELL, THE AMERICAN DREAM IS
TRULY LIKE MAXIMO DESCRIBED.
IT'S HARD NOT TO GET EMOTIONAL
WHEN YOU HEAR HIS STORY OF
SURVIVAL IN THIS COUNTRY.
BECAUSE MYSELF I AM A FIRST
GENERATION AMERICAN THAT CAME MY
MOTHER CAME HERE NOT KNOWING THE
LANGUAGE.
NOT HAVING A JOB.
THIS WASN'T HER COUNTRY.
AND SHE CAME HERE SO THAT I
COULD LIVE BETTER.
AND ANYTIME THAT YOU KNOW, I
STRUGGLE I FEEL LIKE I OWE THAT
TO THE MY FAMILY TO DO BETTER
AND TO BREAK THE CYCLE.
AND IF WE HAVE COME TO THIS
COUNTRY FOR THE AMERICAN DREAM
THAT MEANS YOU KNOW BEING ABLE
TO BE AN ENTREPRENEUR, BEING
ABLE TO SUPPORT YOUR FAMILY,
BEING ABLE TO EDUCATE YOUR KIDS
SO THEY CAN DO BETTER.
AND MAYBE ONE DAY BE A MEMBER OF
CONGRESS LIKE REPRESENTATIVE TIM
SCOTT.
>> KEVIN SUGGS THE RNC
CONSIDERED A UNITING FORCE FOR
THE REPUBLICANS.
HOW DO YOU BELIEVE THE
CONVENTION IS PROVIDING THAT
SENSE OF UNITY THIS YEAR?
>> WELL, I THINK IF YOU LOOK AT
LAST NIGHT A LOT OF THE THINGS
THEY PUT TOGETHER THE TOPICS
THESE ARE CONCERNS OF EVERY
AMERICAN PERSON REGARDLESS IF
YOU ARE DEMOCRAT OR REPUBLICAN.
AND THEY ARE ADDRESSING THEM AND
THEY ARE COMING UP WITH PLANS
HOW WE CAN FIX IT WHICH I THINK
IS THE SOLUTION THAT WE DIDN'T
HEAR LAST WEEK.
SO FROM UNIFYING THE COUNTRY,
COMMON GROUNDS WE ALL BELIEVE WE
WANT TO PROSPER AND HAVE
ECONOMIC SUCCESS AND WE WANT TO
GET ALONG AND I BELIEVE THAT WAS
IT.
AND I APPLAUD THE PRESIDENT FOR
BRINGING THE FRONTLINE WORKERS
ON HAVING PEOPLE THAT HE HOPES
TO GET RELEASED FROM OVERSEAS
WHEN THEY WERE IN PRISON.
THOSE ARE HIS ISSUES THAT ARE
EVERYONE'S CONCERN IT IS NOT A
PARTISAN ISSUE AND THOSE ARE THE
THINGS THAT WILL UNIFY THE PARTY
AND THE NATION.
>> MARIA WHAT WAS YOUR REACTION
TO THE CONVENTION BEING HELD
VIRTUALLY INSTEAD OF HAVING IT
IN PERSON?
>> INITIALLY BEING A FIRST-TIME
DELEGATE ESPECIALLY FOR THIS
GREAT PRESIDENT, I WAS
DISAPPOINTED THAT I WASN'T GOING
TO BE IN PERSON TO ATTEND ALL OF
THE AND GET TO KNOW FELLOW
REPUBLICANS AND TRUMP
SUPPORTERS.
BUT YOU KNOW, AS THE FIRST NIGHT
CLOSED OF THE CONVENTION
VIRTUALLY, I WAS PRETTY PLEASED.
I FEEL LIKE I WAS FOCUSED TO BE
ABLE TO LISTEN TO THE SPEAKERS
AND YOU KNOW SHARE IT WITH
FRIENDS AT HOME.
I WAS GETTING TEXT MESSAGES ALL
NIGHT FROM PEOPLE JUST EXCITED
AND PEOPLE HERE LOCALLY THAT
SUPPORTED ME SINCE I STARTED YOU
KNOW, HELPING OUT IN POLITICS.
AND I WAS ABLE TO WATCH IT WITH
MY SON AND THAT WAS A GOOD
EXPERIENCE AS WELL.
>> AND KEVIN HOW ABOUT YOU?
ARE YOU DOING ANYTHING
DIFFERENTLY TO MAKE IT SPECIAL
THOUGH IT IS A VIRTUAL
CONVENTION THIS YEAR?
>> YOU KNOW, I'M STILL AT HOME
WATCHING IT.
I AM EITHER TEXTING OR FACE
TIMING WITH FRIENDS WE'RE LIKE
DOING A LITTLE WATCH PARTY
PER SE NOT TECHNICALLY ON
Facebook BUT THAT IS GOING TO
BE THE EXTRA PART I'M DOING IN
ADDITION TO WATCHING IT.
>> AND HOW IS YOUR ROLE
DIFFERENT SINCE YOU ARE AT HOME
INSTEAD OF PHYSICALLY THERE AT
THE CONVENTION AS A DELEGATE?
>> WELL, AS OF WHAT WE'RE DOING
RIGHT NOW IS JUST LIKE GOING
ALONG WITH THE VOTES WERE CAST
YESTERDAY.
AND OUR CHAIRMAN CAST THE VOTE
FOR ILLINOIS.
PRETTY MUCH WE ARE OBSERVING AND
LOOKING FORWARD TO THURSDAY
NIGHT.
>> OK.
ENJOY THE REST OF THE WEEK.