College Democrat Ivy Ziedrich says she grew up in a conservative family and identified as a Republican before attending school in Nevada where, this week, her confrontation with Jeb Bush on the issue of ISIS has suddenly thrust her into the political spotlight.
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“It’s been crazy. I didn’t anticipate any part of this,” Zeidrich told MSNBC in a phone interview before she spoke to "Hardball’s" Chris Matthews.
“I actually grew up in a conservative family… . I was really conservative for a while. I considered myself a Republican. I remember arguing people in favor of Prop 8 [the California ballot measure to ban same-sex marriage]. That’s disgusting to me now.”
Ziedrich explains an evolution from a conservative to progressive ideology spurned by her work on the high school debate team.
“I was put in an environment where I was encouraged and forced to research both sides of the issues,” she said. “I went through a pretty lengthy process of reforming my beliefs.”
Despite her family’s ideological differences, the 19-year-old says they have been extremely supportive of what she did, including her father who, The New York Times notes, is an avid Fox News viewer.
“I ended up talking to my dad yesterday. I found out [he] is really proud of me.”