Dubbed by many as a monumental upset, the Republican Party is back in the White House.
Republican Donald Trump earned the president-elect nod in the early morning hours Wednesday, surpassing 270 electoral votes to beat out Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.
With early projections going the way of Clinton to start election day, Trump began to make things interesting by securing the electoral votes in several contested states, including Florida, Wisconsin, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Michigan.
Tennessee continued its trend of going red with the presidential election as Donald Trump easily carried the state. In Carter County, the ticket of Trump/Mike Pence carried over 79 percent of the vote while Clinton/Tim Kaine controlled 16 percent.
The 2016 presidential election showed its fair share of ups and downs for each candidate. Whether it was derogatory words by Trump or emails by Clinton — residents who voted Republican in Carter County, like Gord Potter, said the voters’ decision came down to seeing the direction of where the country was going under the previous administration.
“Trump’s strong showing just proves that America is growing tired of the same old political mess,” Carter County native Andy Slagle added.
Other individuals responded to inquires from the Elizabethton Star about voting Republican in the election. Many added their votes came down to policy ideas. Resident Cody Marlow added Trump as president-elect could help with relations with other countries.
“Restore relations with Russia, Syria, Israel and de-escalate tensions in Syria, Russia, Crimea and Ukraine,” Marlow added about Trump’s selling points as a candidate. “To protect the Constitution rights in the U.S., to stabilize the U.S. economy by removing socialist policies such as the Affordable Care Act. Not only to strengthen U.S. economics but the economies in European nations by building relations with Britain after their Brexit vote and helping them and other countries to leave the European Union comfortably, as a slap in the face to Globalism. And mainly, just to replace the Washington elite with someone who actually represents the public and restores power to the American people.”
Julie Williams added the economic plans, along with healthcare and education, were the top priorities when voting in this year’s election.
“A large majority of my family are veterans, so all military-related was a big concern,” Williams added. “These are things all of America was concerned with apparently. All the immigration, equality and green issues kind of took a back seat. If we aren’t healthy, have no work, and no way to defend ourselves, then there is no America.”
Joining Williams, Lauren Barnett added she voted Trump because of Clinton’s stance on abortion and her treatment of military personnel.
Dakota Williams, a veteran from the county, added he voted for Trump due to his military beliefs.
“The main reason why I voted for Trump is because he seemed to be the best choice for the military/veterans.,” he said. “That’s a topic very near and dear to my heart, seeing as I have served. His policies regarding the VA administration and his promises to reform the VA healthcare system ultimately swayed me to his side over all other Republican candidates. Not to mention Hillary’s obvious disdain for our military through multiple stories from the people conducting security for her on many occasions.
U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) issued a statement on the presidential election — a night where the Republican Party was able to gain control of each branch of government.
“Congratulations to President-elect Trump. The election belongs to the people and the people have voted for change. Donald Trump is the agent for that change. Now it is the responsibility of the President-elect and the Congress to work together to address the voices of anger and despair, and of hope, that we heard yesterday. This includes reducing Washington’s role in our lives, making it easier to find a good job and less expensive health care, and making our system more fair. It’s time to put the election behind us. The way to make change and move our country in the right direction is to work together to bring out the best in all of us.”
Natalie Strom, with the Republican National Committee, also provided the Elizabethton Star with a statement from RNC Chairman Reince Priebus about election night.
The statement read,
“Congratulations to President-elect Donald Trump, Vice President-elect Mike Pence, and our Republican majorities in the House and Senate! Tonight voters made one thing clear: they want Republicans to take the country in a bold new direction. Donald Trump’s candidacy inspired millions of Americans to join his quest to give a voice to those who have long felt silenced. For the past seventeen months Donald Trump has been distinguished by a steadfast commitment to bring change, and now he is going to take that enthusiasm to Washington D.C. to work for the American people as their president. For four years the RNC has been the only organization with a permanent field operation organizing in every battleground state and the investments by our party and supporters paid off in delivering the White House and keeping our House and Senate majorities. The RNC’s decision to devote resources to holding the House and Senate proved to be a vital strategic decision that was instrumental in delivering this victory. We are ready to introduce a Republican agenda of economic opportunity, strong national security, and individual freedom that will benefit all Americans.
“This is a big night for Republicans, a testament to what can be accomplished when our Party comes together, and the product of everything for which millions of volunteers and supporters have tirelessly labored for months and in some cases even years. With a Republican Congress firmly in place and Donald Trump in the White House, we can get to work on fixing Washington and bringing prosperity back to the American people.
“Hillary Clinton ran a hard-fought race and many of her supporters are everyday Americans passionate about making our great country a better place. While we disagree on many issues, enthusiasm for the public good is a hallmark of a healthy democracy and Americans who voted for Hillary Clinton should take pride in their principled commitments to our republic.”