ELKHART — After watching political conventions on television for decades, Zanzer Anderson did not expect the jolt of excitement she experienced during her first two nights at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C.

The electricity and energy from the evenings’ events have carried over late into the evenings, she said.

On Wednesday night, the Elkhart woman and others stayed up until 4 a.m., still revved up by former president Bill Clinton’s speech.

“The adrenalin gets flowing and you can’t sleep,” Anderson said. “You’re with all these like-minded people and you just want to keep discussing things you agree about or disagree about.”

Anderson needed the unexpected enthusiasm — plus a lot of coffee — to help offset the lack of sleep as she waded through an intense three-day spectacle of political fanfare involving speeches, meetings and related festivities.

She said she believed Clinton did a “phenomenal” job in countering what she considers falsehoods put out by Republicans, especially concerning the Affordable Care Act.

“All the misinformation that was put out by the Republican Party, he squashed it,” Anderson said in a phone interview while riding on a bus headed for Time Warner Cable Arena hours before President Barack Obama was expected to lay out his reasons why he deserves another four years in the White House.

Anderson, who said she met Obama during several of his visits to Elkhart several years ago, predicted the president would “knock it out of the park” Thursday night.

She said she was impressed with numerous speakers, including Lilly Ledbetter, whose name is now synonymous with efforts to ensure equal pay for women. Others who stood out were former Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland, first lady Michelle Obama, and Mass. Gov. Deval Patrick.

But she said Julian Castro, the 37-year-old mayor of San Antonio whose speech Tuesday night drew rave reviews from pundits, captured her attention like no other.

“Talk about a rising star,” Anderson said. “I’m saying (he could be) the first Hispanic president. If not president, then vice president.”

She said she was struck by the diverse representation at the convention.

“We always say the Democrat Party looks like America,” she said. “You look in (the arena) and its just a rainbow.”

Anderson said she’s been pleasantly surprised by the hospitality shown by the city of Charlotte and the organizational efforts of the Democrat party to ensure convention-goers have a good experience. Volunteers have been readily available at the hotels and elsewhere to assist visitors.

Organizers moved Thursday night’s events that had been planned for Bank of America Stadium to the arena because of weather concerns. While the decision has been criticized by some, Anderson said heavy rains that fell Thursday afternoon and loomed into the evening were enough evidence that they made the right call.

Anderson said she’s enjoyed being at a major event that has included celebrities such as actors Ashley Judd and Jeff Bridges. She said she was invited to a yacht party and has been inundated with opportunities to partake in plenty of great food.

“I lost 18 pounds before I came here and I think I’m bringing it all back,” Anderson said.