Mr. President
Quote:
It’s been what they call a historic event. But, to be really historic, we have to do a great job and I promise you I won’t let you down…And I can only say that while the campaign is over, our work of this movement is really just beginning. We’re going to get to work immediately for the American people.
With that, Republican candidate Donald J. Trump declared victory in the race for President of the United States at about three in the morning.
As the results rolled in from around the country, the chattering class, also known as the political pundits, stammered through their broadcasts, groping for explanations in disbelief over the Trump victory they were seeing materialize. While many sloughed it off on angry, uneducated, working class, bigoted white men, with one black C N N commentator going so far as to ask how would he explain Trump winning to his children, the exit polling data gave a very different picture.
Clinton: Underperformed with women, Hispanics and blacks
While Clinton carried women overall by about ten points, the so called gender gap wasn’t what it was predicted to be as Trump won with white women by about ten points, white middle aged women by about twenty points and self described conservative women by an almost eighty twenty margin.
Despite being vilified as a racist bigot for his tough rhetoric on immigration, Trump actually did better with Hispanic voters than did 2 0 1 2 G O P nominee Mitt Romney, garnering twenty nine percent of that vote to his twenty seven.
Trump also did better with black voters. Four years ago, the current occupant of the White House carried that vote by a margin of ninety three to seven. Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton carried it by eighty eight to eight percent over Trump.
Girard: White guys like me “blamed” for Trump win
Trump stunned the wizards of conventional wisdom by winning Wisconsin and Pennsylvania after wrapping up what were much bigger than expected wins in Florida, North Carolina and Ohio.
Trump will likely lose the popular vote once the counting in California is completed. As it stands now, with fifty nine percent of precincts reporting, Clinton has a two point one million vote edge in the Golden State. Trump’s margin in the popular vote before the rest of the unreported precincts in California and around the country are counted is a about a quarter of a million votes.
At the moment, Trump has two hundred eighty nine electoral votes to Clinton’s two hundred eighteen with a congressional district in Nebraska and the states of Minnesota, Michigan and New Hampshire still too close to call, though it looks as if Clinton will win Minnesota’s ten electoral votes, Trump will win Michigan’s sixteen and the Nebraska district while New Hampshire awaits returns from twenty outstanding precincts to determine if Trump’s three hundred or so vote margin will hold.
Race hanging in the balance
Also awaiting the returns from those twenty precincts are Senator Kelly Ayotte and Governor Margaret Wood Hassan. Ayotte’s up by about fifteen hundred votes in a race that’s still too close to call.
Incumbent Second District Congresswoman Ann McLane Kuster appears to have defeated G O P challenger Jim Lawrence in what was an unexpected nail biter that saw Lawrence leading for a chunk of the night. With sixteen precincts outstanding, Kuster’s up by about twelve thousand votes.
Shea-Porter: Sheee’s baaaaack!
In the First District, Congressman Frank Guinta appears to have again lost to former Congresswoman Carol Shea Porter as he is down by about five thousand votes with five precincts outstanding.
Sununu: Victorious
For governor, Republican District Three Executive Councilor Chris Sununu defeated his counterpart from District Two Colin Van Ostern by about eighteen thousand votes with twenty precincts not yet tallied.
News from our own back yard continues after this.
In local races of interest to our show and listening area:
District Five Executive Councilor David Wheeler was reelected.
District Four Executive Councilor Chris Pappas edged Manchester Alderman at Large Joe Kelly Levasseur.
Senator Russell Prescott was elected to the Council from District Three.
In State Senate races:
Republican State Rep Bill Gannon from Sandown was elected in District Twenty Three.
Democratic Senator Lou D’Allesandro of Manchester was reelected in District Twenty.
NH Senate Chamber: New blood and old lions
Republican Senator Regina Birdsell of Hampstead was reelected in District Nineteen.
Democratic Senator Donna Soucy of Manchester was reelected in District Eighteen.
Republican Senator John Reagan of Deerfield was reelected in District Seventeen.
In District Sixteen N E A-N H President, Democrat Scott McGilvary of Hooksett edged out Republican State Rep. Joe Duarte of Candia, which may lead to a constitutional challenge to his holding office.
Avard: Survives onslaught of out of state campaign cash
In District Fourteen, Republican Senator Sharon Carson of Londonderry was reelected.
In District Twelve, Republican Senator Kevin Avard of Nashua survived an onslaught of out of state special interest cash to win reelection.
In District Eleven, Republican Sentor Gary Daniels of Milford cruised to victory.
In District Nine, Republican Senator Andy Sanborn of Bedford wins again.
And in District Eight, Republican Ruth Ward of Stoddard wins the seat.
Click for Manchester’s UNOFFICIAL election night results, including all state, local and national race totals, by ward and citywide totals.
That’s news from our own backyard! Girard at Large hour ___ is next.
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