It’s safe to turn on your TVs again. We can all breathe a sigh of relief; the elections are finally over. This presidential election year has been filled with tension between political parties, extremely negative ads, and more than a few verbal kerfuffles among citizens and politicians alike. The election ended in an extremely close presidential race, but states seemed more sure about who they wanted for congress and senate.
In polls leading up to the election Mitt Romney and Barack Obama were both so close that it was hard to tell what the outcome would be. In the days before the air was already abuzz with talks of a possible recount, predictions, and plans.
When election night finally arrived, even non-voting citizens crowded around TVs and laptops to wait for the outcome. Romney had a strong lead in the beginning, snatching up larger states like Texas and Wyoming, states that on a map, look very large, but have very few electoral votes due to smaller populations.
Obama came in and took most of the densely populated coasts, as well as what NBC news correspondents described as “The Midwestern firewall,” states like Ohio, Illinois, Minnesota, and Wisconsin that would ensure a solid lead.
In the end, President Barack Obama was re-elected as the 44th president of the United States of America with 303 electoral votes. His passionate speech was reminiscent of his first President Elect speech, aiming to give hope to the American people. Romney accepted his defeat with dignity with his family by his side.
State elections were less extremely divided and more one-sided. Amy Klobuchar won a senate seat with over 65 percent of Minnesota’s votes. Other states seemed to follow suit with few real shockers. Democrats now rule the Senate majority with 53 seats, Republicans with 45 seats, and 2 Independent seats elected from Maine and Vermont.
As for the House, Republicans held onto their stronghold with 234 seats, and Democrats, though gaining a few, stayed the minority with 193 seats. The inexorable Republicans stuck to their guns during the first term of the Obama-Biden administration slowing down legislation and preventing some tasks to be checked off the president’s “to-do” list.
Over the next four years we can hope to see the President’s bipartisan cabinet and the House working together more smoothly, as well as the President working to keep his promise of creating more jobs, funding renewable energy, helping the middle class, and boosting our economy. Don’t worry; we’re safe from election ads for now.