Locally, Trump victory met with shock

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President-elect Donald Trump acknowledges the chairman of the RNC, Reince Priebus, while talking to supporters Wednesday at the Election Night Party at the Hilton Midtown Hotel in New York City.

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After Tuesday’s nail-biting and unprecedented election night extended into early Wednesday morning, Republican Donald Trump was elected the 45th U.S. president in an upset against Democrat Hillary Clinton.

Taking the stage in Manhattan early Wednesday, Trump delivered his victory speech as Clinton conceded election defeat.

“Now it’s time for America to bind the wounds of division — have to get together,” Trump said. “To all Republicans and Democrats and independents across this nation, I say it is time for us to come together as one united people.”

Both nationally and locally, Trump’s victory was met with voters’ shock.

Curry County Democratic Party Chairman Terry Martin shared his reaction to the outcome, referencing the fact that national pre-Election Day polls were wrong in predicting Clinton’s win over Trump.

“Of course, it was surprising based on the polls and everything,” Martin said. “We were all just surprised, but the people in the country have spoken. Regardless of the outcome, God is still in control. We all need to just work together for the betterment of the United States.”

On the other hand, Curry County Republican Party Chairman Rube Render said he felt “wonderful” about Trump’s victory and wasn’t as shocked as most Americans.

“I think I’m one of the few elected Republicans to the party who have said all along that I thought Trump was going to win,” Render said. “I have thought for a while, just like everyone is saying now, that the models they used for predictions were off. I think everybody got it wrong. I don’t think the world is coming to an end like everybody believes, but it will come as a shock to people.”

Curry County participated with a 49.6 percent turnout, as 11,383 of 22,943 registered voters cast a ballot. County Clerk Rose Riley said it was a record turnout.

Here’s what other area residents and voters had to say about the results the day after the election:

• Clovis’ Monica Griego looked at the election from a religious standpoint, saying, “It came down to religious beliefs for me ... I wouldn’t have really gone that route, but it is what it is. I guess we’ll just have to deal with it for now and see what happens.”

• For Clovis’ Sonja Myers, Trump’s win was a pleasant surprise.

“I was surprised to say the least,” Myers said. “The polls just kept saying he had to do this, he had to do that to win. I was pleased with the outcome — not because I especially like Trump, but I just thought Hillary was kind of a criminal. I didn’t want her to have the win.”

• Clovis’ Cynthia Rivas said she’s focused more on the nation’s reaction than her own: “I think it’s not so much who got elected; it’s how everyone is reacting to it. There are riots across the country now — that’s ridiculous.”

• Fort Sumner’s Aaron and Alexis Roth said their initial shock soon turned into acceptance.

“I’m really surprised,” Aaron Roth said. “I thought Hillary was going to win. It seemed like a trend from start to finish was that despite any obstacle that was in her way, it seemed like Hillary’s ability outweighed Trump’s behavior, overall presentation, his perspective — so it was just a surprise.

“As for the way things have been handled since hearing the news, Trump’s behavior after winning was very professional, and it was nice to see Obama basically say, ‘It’s OK to pass this torch on.’”

Alexis Roth said, “I think the outcome was a little scary, to say it best. But he’s going to be our president, and we just have to be supportive of that.”