A 13 hour drive across a span of 900 miles. Traveling across bland fields and enduring constant motion to get to South Carolina, junior Bridget O’Reilly had her sights set.

“I went down there for a college visit with my cousin and heard about the Ben Carson rally once we got there,” O’Reilly said. “It was free and I love Ben Carson so we figured why not.”

O’Reilly, currently enrolled in AP Government, wanted to get a taste of the democratic process first hand and through her very own eyes.

“It definitely helped being in AP Government because I could understand what he was talking about and the whole process of voting and polling.”

Upon arrival, O’Reilly was able to hear numerous speeches from campaign members and even get up close and personal with Dr. Ben Carson when she secured a picture and video with the candidate.

“He gave a really nice speech about why he wasn’t dropping out despite coming in last because he wanted to make a difference,” she added.

As the election date nears, the race for the GOP nomination has heated up even further between frontrunners Donald Trump, senator Marco Rubio, and senator Ted Cruz. As of an announcement late Saturday night February 20, Bush chose to suspend his campaign for president.

In his speech, Bush stated that “The people of Iowa and New Hampshire and South Carolina have spoken and I really respect their decision, so tonight I am suspending my campaign.”

Trump the wild card of the bunch, continues to shock the country with his big promises and dominant persona.

As for the democratic party, the race between senator Bernie Sanders and senator Hillary Clinton remains a close one. The two have battled for the minority vote for quite some time, with Clinton just barely pulling ahead in the South Carolina primary. As for who will be the next president, this remains a mystery.