Trump fans in Rochester expect him to steamroll to victory: 'He's a fighter'

ROCHESTER — Trump chants, red hats and sunglasses filled the Rochester Opera House. Many of the attendees were Seacoast voters, excited for the chance to see Donald Trump in person Sunday night.

“I’m his very biggest fan,” said Marissa Sheehan from Rochester. “I was a screamer outside.”

She and Teresa Mclarid, also from Rochester, had been waiting outside the Opera House since the morning. Trump was set to come on stage at 7 p.m.

“He’s really trying to change the country for the good and he’s not giving up. I mean he’s going again. He’s a fighter,” Mclarid said. She said the economy and homelessness were important issues to her, both of which she thinks were better when Trump was president.

Other Seacoast residents expressed their thrill over Trump coming to their area. Bianca Desjardins, who was born and raised in Portsmouth, attended his rally in Manchester the night before, but was happy to have the chance to experience him in a smaller, more "quaint" location. The Rochester Opera House has a capacity of 702.

More: My Vote: Trump? Haley? Biden? Others? NH supporters share their candidates of choice

Trump fans happy DeSantis dropped out, but don’t think it will be consequential

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced his withdrawal from the race just about an hour before attendees started entering the Opera House. Most voters think that while it's slightly helpful for Trump, it won't change much.

“He didn’t have a chance anyways. Donald Trump is going to walk away with this,” said Denise Renee while waiting for Trump to come onstage.

“Not a shock,” responded Troy McKenzie to the news. “He didn’t put much time in to New Hampshire, so he wasn’t going to get much here anyway.” The more people that drop out, the Maine resident thinks, the more people will endorse Trump.

Renee agreed. “DeSantis voters will come to Trump,” she said.

“I feel that it’s great that he is gonna stand behind getting everybody rallied around Trump. I think that was the right move for him to do,” said Desjardins.

Voters share their thoughts on Nikki Haley

With DeSantis out of the race, the Republican field has been whittled down to two: Trump vs. Nikki Haley.

Renee and her husband, Mark, don’t believe Haley will last much longer in the race. Rochester resident Amanda Connors thinks the opposite: she doesn’t think Haley will drop out anytime soon. “I mean, I get 20 pamphlets from her a day, a thousand text messages and calls,” she said. She is an undeclared voter but said she usually always votes Republican.

Is the GOP race a romp?: DeSantis is out. Trump closes in as Haley fights to survive in NH

Desjardins hopes Haley will drop out after the New Hampshire primary on Tuesday.

“It’s time to unify everyone,” she said. She plans to vote for Trump on Tuesday. “We need to stand behind America.”

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Trump fans in Rochester NH confident he'll defeat Haley in primary