When Donald Trump began to take a lead in the polls in swing states like Michigan and Pennsylvania late Tuesday night, Jaffrey resident Chris Mazerall knew the candidate he had spent months canvassing for would win the election.
Trump, the Republican nominee, has been elected as the 45th President of the United States of America, defeating Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton in a race that surprised many throughout the nation.
“[While campaigning for Trump] I saw a lot of enthusiasm for him as a candidate for president,” said Mazerall, who served as the Jaffrey town chair for Trump’s campaign. “A lot of the people I spoke to were old-fashioned and patriotic blue-collar workers who were picking up on Trump’s message.”
While the swing state of New Hampshire ultimately went to Clinton, she could not overcome losses in other battleground states such as Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania and North Carolina, which all went to Trump. Clinton won New Hampshire by a margin of less than 1,500 votes, according to the New York Times.
“This country’s treasure is human rights, that’s what we’ve fought for, and that’s what Hillary’s fought for her entire life,” said Dan Parish, of Peterborough. “She has the capability and wisdom to improve things internally and the experience to keep peace externally.”
The Monadnock region was equally divided in the presidential race with some towns overwhelmingly supporting Clinton and others Trump.
Of the 16 towns in the Ledger-Transcript readership area, results were 50-50. Towns like Rindge, Mason, and Greenville carried Trump, while Peterborough, Hancock, and Dublin favored Clinton.
“I think Trump is a lot better than Hillary,” said Jaffrey first-time voter Robert Christie, who felt that the media played a large role in how the two candidates were portrayed. “Hillary Clinton is a little ridiculous.”
Some of Trump’s supporters here didn’t agree with everything that Trump had to say, but argued that Trump was still the person they felt would be best for the job.
“I think we need someone who is not a politician to help this country,” said Adrienne Hilton, who was campaigning in Jaffrey for Trump. “Hillary Clinton has betrayed this country. We need a Republican president.”
With Clinton’s background in politics and law, many Monadnock region voters were hoping she would pull out the win. Some in support of Clinton were hoping that she would be able to break another glass ceiling for women.
“I feel this is a hugely emotional vote for women, for many women, for me. My mother was born before women had the right to vote, imagine that?” said Amy Markus of Hancock. “This is a big step and I think we lose track of that in all of the rhetoric and the mudslinging out there.”
Overall, a number of Democrats in the area voted their party line, hoping a blue nation would lead to change.
“For me, this seems to be a historic opportunity. I’m supporting the Democratic ticket as a whole,” said Peterborough resident Kate Coon. “If we can swing a Democratic majority, than we can make more progress.”
While a blue nation was the hope for many Americans, Tuesday’s elections show that Republicans now control not only the presidency, but the Senate and the House.
“This is a very important election. We need a change in our government,” said Rindge resident Penny Rodriguez. “I don’t agree with everything Trump stands for but he has been saying what people are afraid to say.”