On Nov. 7 at 11:25 a.m., CNN declared Joe Biden as the projected winner of the 2020 Presidential Election.
Biden’s running mate Kamala Harris, Senator of California, will be the first female, and black female, Vice President.
“It is very empowering for females to see that Harris is elected Vice President. That shows the world women can do anything we set our mind to,” said graduate student Joanna Beach.
The results led to different reactions across the country.
According to AP Newsroom, Biden supporters “cheered, danced, set off firecrackers and banged on pot lids.” Many people who were in the streets celebrated for days once the announcement was made that Biden/Harris had won the Electoral College.
Trump supporters possessed different feelings about Biden’s win. The Associated Press said, “People are protesting outside of ballot-counting operations, alleging without evidence that the slow-moving results were proof of cheating.”
Kolby Driscoll, President of the Sacred Heart College Democrats, said, “The election has been so stressful. Trump and his administration are well within their rights to call for recounts to double check the vote counts.”
Matteo Menta, President of the College Republicans at Sacred Heart, supports the recounting of the votes and said, “I think that letting the investigations and recounts play out may help restore some legitimacy to Biden and our election process.”
Professor Gary Rose, the Department Chair of Government at Sacred Heart, reflected on the outcome and said, “Half of the country is very enthusiastic about the results, and the other half feels that they were not part of the victory.”
Voter turnout was significant in this election.
“The turnout is historic. Joe Biden has received the most votes of any presidential candidate in history. Donald Trump received the most votes of any presidential candidate who lost,” said Rose.
“People feel somewhat alienated about the results and that they do not feel like they are a part of what just happened in our country,” said Rose.
Driscoll expressed how Biden is already beginning to make plans for the future of the United States.
“Biden has already begun to establish his official COVID-19 team filled with advisors and experts in this field,” said Driscoll.
Driscoll added, “I believe that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will work to lessen the divide in our country and work to unite our country once again by treating every single American with dignity and respect.”
Professor Gregory Golda, a professor in the School of Communication, Media and the Arts, gave his insight on what Biden will do as president.
“What we will see immediately is a return to a professional class and a reliance on expertise,” said Golda.
As of Nov. 16 at 2:03 p.m., according to The Associated Press, the latest numbers are Joe Biden with 78,804,125 votes and President Trump with 73,155,064 votes. Biden leads the electoral college with 290 votes for a percentage of 51, as opposed to Trump with 232 electoral votes for a percentage of 47.3 of votes tallied.
These numbers are subject to change pending the recounting of votes in Georgia.
