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Crowds cheer with every state called for Trump- that was the overall sense of relief at the Georgia GOP watch party at the Grand Hyatt in Buckhead this election night. Mingling throughout the red, white, and blue clad ballroom were new converts in MAGA hats and Republican royalty like former GOP Chairwoman Sue Everhart and Georgia Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones. From the lens of a wall of media, oversized projections of each battleground state leaning red initially only to be confirmed for Trump minutes later lit up the room. Upstairs the Georgia Black Republican Council (GABRC) jointly with the Shelly Wynter show hosted local black conservative activists from around the state while the YRs held their own soiree on another floor attended by the next generation of Republicans. Upon entering his suite after taping a panel interview with Erick Erickson Wynter announced, “Exit polls report Trump garnered 25% of black male voters in Georgia!”
GABRC hosted international media throughout the night as ‘Victory or die’ themes reverberated throughout the venue. Yet the anxious hopefuls were not only relegated to the upscale - local watch parties dotted the suburbs in many competitive districts while thousands other armchair warriors stayed up late to watch the returns from the comfort of their homes, many waiting for west coast results. As Nevada turned a hue of pink once the polls closed, Georgia and Pennsylvania were still too close to call. Yet, the mood in rooms all over the nation began to shift - either in elation or despair - as it becomes clear that Vice President Harris has underperformed expectations of liberal media and Democratic leadership.
Commentary on social media trends toward memes that provide excuses for Harris’ weak numbers while shared sympathies for a hard battle well thought find their way through private text messages between co-conspirators in what has truly been the most consequential election of our lifetimes. For Georgians, knowing the growing bluing of metro Atlanta found its way into Gwinnett and Cobb Counties proved to make the race a nail biter even while most were confident in Trump’s ultimate victory. Voiced frustration that a Trump victory did not resonate down ballot as early local races were called were overshadowed by the fact that the state could be counted among the faithful when it came to the presidential contest after a hard defeat in 2020.
As conservatives connected with old friends and made new alliances, few Republican candidates appeared to show signs of distress, even with impending losses in their own races. Harris supporters, on the other hand, begin the often painful process of accepting concessions. For these, mostly female voters, the soberness of knowing much of their posturing about reproductive rights and runaway machismo were in vain. Yet other more independent voters who cross-voted based on candidate appeal recognized in the end that experiencing that “history making” moment would have to wait at least another four years.
The gamut of emotion common to election night did provide every Georgian with a sense of reprieve as there were no overnight flips, flops, floods, or demands for a recount to awaken to post election. At Howard University, Harris exchanged her trademark laughter for a promise to keep fighting despite being the figurehead for what NBC called a crushing defeat. In a joint call for a peaceful transition of power from Harris and President-elect Trump, many wonder what the last few weeks of the year might yield. Election Day 2024 was years in the making and yet, overnight, gave America an opportunity to turn the corner on what has been one crazy ride. Overall, conversations about election turnout all pointed to poor performance of the current administration which all but handed Trump the unique position of being both the 45th and the 47th President of the United States. For some, election night was the perfect place to begin plans for expanding the conservative presence in the suburbs. More commonly, others choose to basque in what they refer to as an answered prayer - accepting the Trump victory as a personal triumph for the nation.
