Local Dems watch as Trump wins North Carolina
By Joey Pitchford
Published in News on November 9, 2016 9:58 AM
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News-Argus/SETH COMBS
Democrats gather at the democratic headquarters to share food and support for Hillary Clinton while viewing the live televised election results on Tuesday evening.
The mood at the Wayne County Democratic Party headquarters Tuesday night was not as expected.
Faced with a surging Republican turnout for Donald Trump across the nation, the approximately 40 people crowded into the Democratic headquarters were not seeing the kind of sweeping Hillary Clinton victory that many polls suggested they might.
As the votes piled up for Trump, party members rallied around each Democratic victory coming across the television screen, cheering and hugging at each state to turn blue.
Ernestine Wooten, the party's 91-year-old chairwoman, began the proceedings by calling for unity in the nation, regardless of who was eventually elected President.
She said that her party had focused largely on making sure Wayne County children have quality education, and she was happy as the night went on and democrats Patricia Burden and Raymond Smith Jr. won their bids for Board of Education seats.
The mood in the headquarters swung like a pendulum from moment to moment. As Mrs. Clinton was awarded a victory in Virginia the audience cheered, and she briefly took a lead in the MSNBC poll after winning California and Hawaii.
The gathered Democrats took the opportunity to join hands in prayer, praying for unity and guidance no matter who was eventually elected, echoing Mrs. Wooten's words from earlier. The prayer held a hopeful note, calling for God to make sure that the people of America are taken care of.
Soon after the prayer concluded, North Carolina was called for Trump.
The anguish was palpable.
Some attendees lamented the hard work they had done in Wayne County and other nearby areas.
Organizer Jerry Broadhurst said that, no matter what happened, he hoped that the nation would be able to heal from what had been a historically damaging election season.
"Whoever wins, we just want them to come with unity, like Mrs. Wooten said before," he said.
Broadhurst also said that the Democratic turnout in Wayne County was not as large as it could have been.
"Our turnout in Wayne County has been balanced, some areas have been good and others have been not as good."
As the night moved on, the numbers in the Democratic HQ dwindled but hope still remained. The winner of the election was still yet to be determined, but eyes remained glued to the TV screen. Faith still buoyed the remaining attendees. One man spoke softly to a woman beside him as the numbers continued to come in.
"I know the Lord will get us through this," he said. "God has got to get us through this."