The friendly greetings of election workers rang out from the ballot drop box, a sense of anticipation hung over campus. As the polls closed, students and faculty at Seattle Pacific University waited nervously with the rest of the nation for results to come in.
Around 2:30 a.m. EST on election night, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, former President Donald Trump took the stage at his campaign’s headquarters in Florida to declare victory. Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris conceded the race the following morning with The Associated Press calling the race for Trump at 5:35 a.m. EST. When all the numbers rolled in, the race ended with Trump collecting a total 312 electoral votes, winning every swing state.
In the aftermath of the federal election, some students and faculty at SPU woke up with a possible dire future coming into reality; while other students and faculty at SPU celebrated Trump becoming the president-elect.
For writing professor Jason Thornberry, the next day was a somber one.
“The atmosphere immediately following Election Day was one of sober reflection,” Thornberry said. “That is an understatement for me and my wife — even our dog seemed a little depressed. I felt adrift physically and mentally, and it took nearly a week for me to gain my sea legs and maneuver without stumbling.”
The feeling of shock was shared by many across campus. Semai Hagos, a first year at SPU, was a little surprised by reactions on campus but shared a similar sentiment to Thornberry.
“I didn’t think this many people would be upset on campus specifically. Everyone was just looking all gloomy and a lot of people are frustrated, you know, especially with immigration,” Hagos said.
For other students, the results of the election were not surprising. To Esrael Lee, a freshman majoring in computer science, Harris faced an uphill battle the moment her campaign started.
“I think it was pretty expected [Trump winning the presidential election]. I mean, there was a minority for one, you know, she was female for a second. So, you know, you had a lot of people who were going to disagree,” Lee said.
In addition to the re-election of Trump, Republicans also took control of the Senate and the House of Representatives. In the Senate, the Republican Party holds 53 seats, while the Democratic Party holds 47 seats — including independents who lean Democratic such as Bernie Sanders and Angus King Jr.. In the House of Representatives, the Associated Press called 220 seats for the Republican party and 215 for the Democratic party on the 3rd of December, with the last seat being called for Democrat Adam Gray in California’s 13th U.S. House District.
Although the results of the presidential election have mostly dominated the results of the congressional races, the control of Congress plays a key role in checking the executive power of the president. A Republican-controlled Congress provides more opportunity for Trump to execute his agenda more efficiently.
Throughout his campaign, as one of his many promises he ran on, Trump took aim at marginalized groups. English and cultural studies professor Ji-Young Um noted her fear that Trump’s win may embolden people to express discrimination more openly.
“The election results feel like a real failure of compassion — especially compassion for those who are particularly marginalized and vulnerable in our society,” Um said. “[The] Trump campaign has continued to dehumanize immigrants and women; and the continued attack on Trans folks as well as LGBQ-identified folks will, I fear, worsen.”
With inauguration on January 20th Trump’s second term of the presidency will be a stark contrast to Biden’s last four years in office, Lee sees the change in ideologies as a less significant factor.
“I kind of just want a president that will do right by everybody. It’s neither here nor there, whether [Trump] had good points or bad points or whatever he said to win,” Lee said. “I’d rather have someone who actually, genuinely has interest in making where we live a safer and better place.”
Despite Trump winning the Electoral College, Kamala Harris took all 12 of Washington state’s electoral votes with over 57% of residents voting for her. Following the trend of Washington leaning blue, Democratic candidate Maria Cantwell won reelection for Washington state’s U.S. Senate seat over Republican challenger Dr. Raul Garcia with nearly 60% of the vote. Democrats also won eight House seats to the Republicans two.
The election also saw Attorney General Bob Ferguson, who’s office SPU brought a lawsuit against in 2022, being elected as the next governor of Washington.
Washington voters weighed in on several ballot measures. Voters passed Initiative 2066 (51.55%), while Measures 2109 (36%), 2117 (38%) and 2124 (44%) all failed to pass.
Following up on her perspective piece, Janette Plunkett, the energy and sustainability manager at SPU, reflected on the results of the ballot measures.
“Washington state made some bold stands for action on climate change, I hope SPU will be supportive,” Plunkett said.
