By ELISA TURNER
On Tuesday, November 5, many of us made our way to the polls and exercised our right to vote for the president of the United States. Americans were faced with a history-making choice — the first female president, or the first felon president. By the time this paper is put on the tables of the science center or in your dorm lounge, it will be no surprise to anyone that America chose the felon.
Donald J. Trump has won the presidential race, and is scheduled to be inaugurated on Monday, January 20, 2025. Trump demolished Harris in the electoral vote, standing 301 to 226 at the time of writing. Seven states were considered battleground states in this election— Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Trump won all seven of these swing states. But Democrats can’t blame electoral college/popular vote discrepancies for the outcome of this election, as Donald Trump also won the popular vote, currently leading 74.3 million to 70.4 million.
Voters also have a tendency to point fingers at third-party candidates for splitting up the losing party and creating an easier victory for the winning party. In this election, however, third-party voters would not have changed Harris’ loss. Jill Stein, Robert Kennedy, Chase Oliver, and other candidates gathered a total of 2.3 million votes collectively — even if all these voters were to vote Democrat, Harris still would have lost the presidential election.
The Republican party has also taken a majority in the US Senate, having gained four seats. This puts the Senate at 53 Republicans to 46 Democrats at the time of writing (Arizona has yet to finish counting).
The Associated Press has not yet called the results for the House of Representatives, but Republicans are on track to gain a majority, leading 213 to 202 at the time of writing. With a Republican president, a Republican majority in the Senate, and nearing a Republican majority in the House, the United States is certainly in for an interesting time over the next four years. Americans are sitting on pins and needles, waiting to see what this GOP trifecta might entail, especially in regards to Project 2025 proposed by conservatives, and whether or not proposals from the project will be incorporated into the US government when it is majorly run by conservatives.
The United States is more politically polarized than ever before, and Beloit College is evidently not exempt from this polarization. Many of us have arrived at Commons only to see acquaintances and classmates electioneering by the fruit plates. Some of us have even been harassed for the political beliefs we’ve made known through class discussions. We have exchanged antagonistic words, changed our perspectives on people, and incited hostility amongst our peers. In such a diverse institution, one is bound to encounter another person with beliefs diametrically opposed to one’s own. And in such a tense political climate, it is easy to be inclined towards hatred. But let us not forget that conflict is the condition under which innovation thrives. Our beliefs can divide us, or they can spur us on to ideas we never would have conceived without an opposing viewpoint. As a writer, a student, and a voting American, I ask that you not divide this campus by grievers and victors. Do not gerrymander our residence halls into shades of red and blue by the same metric used in this election. Instead, I ask that we see our peers not with our differences set aside, but with our differences front and center — because we are human beings all the same. Look at your peers, and talk, because it is inevitable. Debate, if you must, but do not divide. You can choose to impede progress, or you can choose to be its catalyst. Among our school, our state, and our country, we are in dire need of a catalyst.
Featured Graphic from GZERO Media
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