Last night, former President Donald Trump became President-Elect Trump. As of mid-day November 6th, he had received 71 million votes to Vice President Harris’ 66 million votes. Trump is the first Republican since President George W. Bush in 2004 to win both the popular vote and the Electoral College. Let’s be clear: This was a free and fair election, just as it was in 2020 and 2016. This is not a time to criticize the former president but to come together, accept the results, and move forward as a country.
Previously, I had predicted the Vice President would win. I was wrong. Based on a poll from Iowa’s most precise polling station, the Des Moines Register, the Vice President was going to win the state. I thought if Harris could win in a very conservative race, such as Iowa, she could carry conservative-leaning states like Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan. Polling Trump’s races is never accurate, and last night confirmed that. My prediction was based on the Republican upset in the 2022 congressional races when the anticipated “red wave” failed to materialize after the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
But last night, Republicans, in general, outperformed expectations. I thought it would have a similar impact to 2022. This election results in a full Republican majority—the House of Representatives, the Senate, the Supreme Court, and the Presidency. While a split legislative branch brings more bipartisanship and unity, we, as citizens, must accept it.
In 2020, President Biden’s term started with division on the election results. This cannot happen again. That should never happen. The United Kingdom recently had its election in July, and incumbent Prime Minister Rishi Sunak lost but he conceded gracefully. The country was able to move forward with peace and rallied behind its newly elected prime minister, ensuring his success. We must do the same. Trump has his faults – everyone does – but we must not presume anything and instead hope for his success. His success is the country’s success. After months of divisive campaigns, it’s time to unite, put that behind us and look toward the next four years.
