{"id":204562,"date":"2016-11-02T16:23:03","date_gmt":"2016-11-02T22:23:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/?p=204562"},"modified":"2016-11-02T21:06:24","modified_gmt":"2016-11-03T03:06:24","slug":"tense-scene-as-protesters-engage-trump-supporters-outside-pence-rally-in-las-cruces","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/2016\/11\/tense-scene-as-protesters-engage-trump-supporters-outside-pence-rally-in-las-cruces\/","title":{"rendered":"Tense scene as protesters engage Trump supporters outside Pence rally in Las Cruces"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\t\t\t
Heath Haussamen \/ NMPolitics.net<\/h6>
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Supporters of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and anti-Trump protesters got into some heated exchanges like this one outside Republican vice presidential candidate Mike Pence's rally in Las Cruces on Wednesday. There was no violence.<\/p><\/div>

Heath Haussamen \/ NMPolitics.net<\/h6>
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Trump supporter Irma Trujillo of El Paso laughs after engaging anti-Trump protesters outside Pence's rally on Wednesday.<\/p><\/div>

Heath Haussamen \/ NMPolitics.net<\/h6>
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Roy Covey of Las Cruces supported Marco Rubio in the Republican primary but now supports Trump. The flowers attached to his sign, he said, are for the Americans killed in Benghazi. The blue ribbon is for law enforcement, and the green ribbon is for soldiers and veterans.<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n

Editor’s note:\u00a0Read our coverage from inside Pence’s rally here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

While he stood in line waiting to hear Republican vice presidential candidate Mike Pence speak on Wednesday, Richard Mancha explained his support for Donald Trump by saying he’s tired of “elite”\u00a0and corrupt politicians.<\/p>\n

The Republican presidential nominee, Mancha\u00a0said he believes, will give people a voice in their government.<\/p>\n

“He’s a normal guy like everybody else. Like me. Like you,” Mancha told this reporter. “He’s in there to do the right thing for us. He’s tired of what’s going on.”<\/p>\n

Moments later, outside a hangar at the Las Cruces International Airport, Mancha was among those shouting\u00a0down anti-Trump\u00a0protester Jeneen Roybal when she tried to share\u00a0her story about being a disabled veteran.<\/p>\n

“I have stories too!” one\u00a0Trump supporter shouted.<\/p>\n

“That’s right!” Mancha agreed.<\/p>\n

During the couple of hours before Pence spoke, there were moments when some of the hundreds of people in line and the dozen or so anti-Trump protesters had respectful conversations with each other.<\/p>\n

But\u00a0those discussions\u00a0were often drowned out by heated exchanges. Many people in line responded to protesters’ attempts to engage them with shouting, chants, and dismissive or combative hand\u00a0gestures. Several said they were annoyed at the protesters and wanted to\u00a0be left alone.<\/p>\n

The scene was tense, but there was no violence.<\/p>\n