Let me make one thing clear from the beginning: I do not fully support the ideas or actions of what Donald Trump does or says. Being a registered Republican in the city of Pittsburgh has been an eye-opening experience for me.

I have not only had many debates with people about politics, but have also come to understand and respect the ideas of Democrats. However, during this election, our society seems to have lost sight of understanding the Republican Party and its views. We aren’t a bunch of rednecks or racists; we are a party founded on the belief in small government and being conservative.

This election has not only shown how biased the media can be, but also how bad a situation can get if our politicians do not seriously take action.

We as voters must understand this; Donald Trump is the presidential candidate for the Republican Party because he listened to the American people.

While the Democrats have held The White House for the past eight years and tried to bring about their concepts of a utopian society, a majority of the Republican populous became frustrated. Enter the Trump era.

This man saw the public’s displeasure and decided to start a campaign because he felt he could change things. Neither John McCain nor Mitt Romney caught the attention of voters like Trump in the past two elections.

Why wouldn’t the voters turn to Trump when he is promising all the radicals that he will “make America great again?”

Not all of us agree with him, however. Republican voters may agree with Trump’s policies but not with the way he plans to carry out his actions.

At this point in the race, having talked to fellow Republican voters, a lot of us are more so anti-Clinton than pro-Trump. The problem here is that some voters are scared to announce their choice of Trump over Clinton, for fear of being chastised.

We live in a country that vocalizes a strong emphasis on freedom of speech, and speaking your opinion that you may agree with a different candidate than someone else is just a part of the election process.

However you may feel about Trump, he is giving voters the alternative to Clinton that many of us need.

Though I do not condone the words of Donald Trump, I cannot stand by and watch a woman who has been caught in lies and continue to lie take the Oval Office.

Clinton on numerous occasions has failed as a leader, but I am not here to bring about her issues, I am here to defend the Republican voters and their beliefs.

Trump is by no means the perfect candidate. I realize that. However, he is trying to implement plans that most Republican voters want to see happen.

For example, his security measures on border control look to keep illegal immigrants out of the country and help to reduce the amount of jobs being taken from the American people. Is building a wall the best idea? Absolutely not.

But simply knowing that we have someone who is looking to deal with these kinds of issues is something that reassures my faith in our democracy.

This November, I plan to vote for Donald Trump because I believe that we can no longer allow the Democratic party to tilt the political system in their favor and drag down the hard-working citizens of America.

If you oppose Hillary Clinton and her ideas, it is okay to vote Republican. Remember that even though you vote for Trump, that doesn’t make you a radical or an extremist.

It makes you a Republican, and you should be proud of that no matter who the candidate is.