NEWARK - For singer Bryan Lewis, the last eight months leading up to his performance Tuesday night, Aug 2, 2016, at President-elect Donald Trump's Ohio Headquarters have been surreal.

Lewis, 38, performed during the viewing party for Tuesday's election returns and performed at a rally Monday night in Powell where former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin was in attendance.

Lewis, an ardent Trump supporter, was invited with short notice to perform at Tuesday's gathering. He said he won't forget the event soon.

"The energy in that place was unbelievable," he said. "I thought the roof was going to come off when Ohio went red."

Lewis said he would have supported any Republican nominee for president, but was glad to see Trump get the call.

Bryan Lewis, a Licking County singer-songwriter, performed at a rally with Sarah Palin in the Columbus area Monday night.
"I feel the beliefs of the nation have been trampled the last eight years," he said. "(Tuesday night) was a rising up. America dodged a major bullet."

Despite watching his chosen candidate be elected, the highlight of the election season for Lewis was getting to meet Palin. He said he was asked to perform at a rally Palin would be at in 2008, but did not respond to the request in time.

"I've had that voicemail on my phone, torturing myself with it for eight years," he said. "This was a long time coming."

Lewis earned attention from Palin after a song he originally wrote as a joke for his friends, "I Think My Dog's a Democrat," was posted on Palin's website. The song's music video had also been shared by Fox News' Sean Hannity.

Lewis first performed the song at a fundraiser for Sheriff Randy Thorp's re-election campaign and was surprised by the strong crowd reaction. A local radio station wanted a copy of the song to play, and Lewis ultimately performed it live in the studio before going to Nashville to record it and film a music video.

"When Hannity picked it up, I thought that was the pinnacle," he said. "Then Sarah Palin put it on her website. I was more shocked than anybody."

He said he was starstruck meeting Palin on Monday and said she told him she was excited to meet him as well.

"Maybe she was just sleep-deprived," Lewis joked. "It was nice to hear someone I've looked up to say such nice things about my music. It really made me feel good."

Lewis said Palin seemed genuine and down-to-earth, calling her "classy and the "real deal."