Some of this is to be expected given just how much the U.S. sorts itself along geographic lines, with Democrats preferring to live in cities versus Republicans, who increasingly opt to call smaller towns or rural areas home. But this ideological sorting has still created a situation where many Republicans who live in the suburbs and bluer cities feel like outliers in their communities — much like Democrats living in Trump country. Some of the voters we spoke with would tease their ideological preferences (through having a GOP candidate’s bumper sticker on their car, for instance), but most have kept their political opinions to themselves. Several expressed having trouble finding friends with similar values who live close to them, and many felt like their party had largely given up on campaigning in their area of town.

That said, there was one bright spot that helped many of the five Republicans and independent voters who have previously supported Republican candidates I spoke with feel more upbeat: the upcoming midterm elections. Expecting their party to likely flip the U.S. House, and maybe pick up a few seats in the U.S. Senate, was a way for them to reconcile their political identity even if representation wasn’t going to change where they lived.

“I am more excited about the national results than the local races,” Charlie C., a 28-year-old self-proclaimed “staunch conservative” from St. Anthony, Minnesota, who only wanted to be identified by his first name and last initial, told me. “I am hoping that this year’s results are reminiscent of the Tea Party red wave from 2014.”