First-years Emilee Kyle, John-Dana Kenning and Sarah Miller celebrate as CNN announces Barrack Obama’s win over John McCain Tuesday night in the Hughes-Trigg Commons. The SMU Political Science Symposium and Democracy Matters sponsored the watching party. (Casey Lee)
Senator Barack Hussein Obama will be the 44th president of the United States, defeating Senator John McCain in the general election.
Election Day marked the end to the longest and most expensive campaign in history. Lasting over 2 years and spending over $1 Billion, or $8 a vote, ensured that the first African American in history will be elected to the presidency of the United States.
The Democratic Illinois Senator received the necessary 270 electoral votes after the close of the polls on the West Coast, securing the largest single state electoral total of 55 in California, giving him the magic number.
At the time of press, four states remained too close to call: Missouri, Montana, Indiana and North Carolina. With the other 46 states decided ,Obama had a commanding and victorious lead in the electorate, with 338 votes to John McCain’s 155. With 68 percent of total precincts reporting, Obama had a 51 percent to 48 percent lead in the popular vote as well.
Over one million Obama supporters gathered in historic Grant Park in downtown Chicago to celebrate along with people in nations spanning five other continents during Obama’s victory speech.
“The road ahead will we long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or one term, but America-I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you-we as a people will get there,” Obama said.
President-elect Obama will be sworn in on the footsteps of the capital building on Jan. 20, 2009.
Early in the race, key swing states of Ohio and Pennsylvania tipped in Obama’s favor, and the 20 and 21 electoral votes respectively were a dagger in the heart of the McCain hopefuls. Ohio has been a strong proponent for Republicans in recent elections, going to President Bush in the last two elections. CNN called the Buckeye State after 35 percent of the polls reported and Obama had a modest lead of 52 percent of the vote to McCain’s 47 percent.
As the night progressed other key swing states began to fall in Obama’s favor, including the hotly contested state of Virginia immediately before CNN projected Obama the winner.
Both candidates spent significant time campaigning in the fourth largest electoral state, Florida. A very tight race for the third year in a row, the 27 electoral votes that had gone red in the last two elections, were added onto the already winning Obama total during the McCain concession speech.
In addition to the party switch of Ohio, Virginia and Florida, Obama also picked up previous red states New Mexico, Colorado and Iowa.
Senate races also mirrored the party-switching trend as a republican upheaval began in New Hampshire when Democratic candidate Jeanne Shaheen defeated Republican incumbent John Sununu. Virginia, North Carolina, New Mexico and Colorado followed suit, electing Democratic hopefuls over the Republican incumbents.
At the time this went to press, four senate seats were still in contention but the Democrats had gained four seats, holding the majority of 56-40. Also at the time of press, the Democrats were inching toward majority control of the House of Representatives as well, holding 211 seats to the Republicans 132 seats with 92 left still in contention. 218 are needed for a majority.
