Staff Reports
Barack Obama was elected the nation’s first black president Tuesday night in a historic triumph that overcame racial barriers as old as America itself.
The son of a black father from Kenya and a white mother from Kansas, the Democratic senator from Illinois sealed his victory by defeating Republican Sen. John McCain in a string of wins in hard-fought battleground states — Ohio, Florida, Virginia and Iowa.
A huge crowd in Grant Park in Chicago erupted in jubilation at the news of Obama’s victory. Some wept.
McCain called to concede defeat — and the end of his own 10-year quest for the White House.
Obama and his running mate, Sen. Joseph Biden of Delaware, will take their oaths of office as president and vice president on Jan. 20, 2009.
As the 44th president, Obama will move into the Oval Office as leader of a country that is almost certainly in recession, and fighting two long wars, one in Iraq, the other in Afghanistan.
The popular vote was close, but not the count in the Electoral College, where it mattered most.
There, Obama’s audacious decision to contest McCain in states that hadn’t gone Democratic in years paid rich dividends.
Obama has said his first order of presidential business will be to tackle the economy. He has also pledged to withdraw most U.S. combat troops from Iraq within 16 months.
Fellow Democrats rode his coattails to larger majorities in both houses of Congress. They defeated incumbent Republicans and won open seats by turn.
On Election Night at the Baker Center Election Return Party, both anticipation and relief were palpable.
Treston Wheat, sophomore in political science, said he and other students have mixed feelings about the end of the election.
Wheat said, “I feel like (students) have become enlivened because of (the election). … Being a poli-sci major, it was exciting but … it was almost two years long. I’m kind of happy it is over.”
Many students voiced their relief at the election drawing to a close for reasons other than the sheer amount of time devoted to it. With campaigns becoming increasingly focused on the candidates’ personal attributes, Jaclyn Barnhart, sophomore in global studies, was one of those students.
“I’m relieved that the election is over because it seems like the same sort of things have been said over and over, and it evolved into this big mudslinging campaign instead of being about the issues,” Barnhart said.
Ray Henson, sophomore in biomedical engineering, is also tired of campaign tactics.
“I’m glad it’s over because there’s been so much b——t; it’s endless,” Henson said.
Robin Overby, junior in journalism and electronic media, said she is also glad the election has ended.
“I love politics,” Overby said. “I love CNN, and I’m just burnt out. I want to know what else is going on in the world.”
Overby thinks people, especially students, will return to their everyday lives quickly following the excitement of the election.
“I think that a lot of the election for students was just a bandwagon effect,” Overby said. “I’m really glad everyone got so excited and everyone voted. But after the election I think everything will go back to normal.”
However, with a new president moving into the White House, normalcy itself will evolve. New policies will be implemented, and change is inevitable. Several students, to varying degrees, expressed their hope for change.
“Things are going to change at least some,” Henson said. “(The winner) will get to clean up the mess that Bush has made.”
Deepa Dave, junior in biochemistry and molecular biology, said she is ready to see the new president enact promised changes.
“I’m sort of excited that the election is over because now we can … finally start working with new ideas that the candidates have been talking about,” Dave said. “We can actually see some action instead of just talk.”
Michelle Jeu, junior in classics, echoed the sentiment of hope for the future.
“I’m interested to see (how) … the (new president) will move forward with his ideas,” Jeu said. “Hopefully change will happen.”
—Copy Chief Jenny Bledsoe contributed to reporting.
