JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – In what had been anticipated to be an election so close we might know the results for several days, President-elect Donald Trump pulled out early wins in key swing states to make the outcome settled before sunrise Wednesday.
Many voters woke to the news that Trump would be headed back to the White House, this time as the nation’s 47th president.
We stopped by Beach Diner in Mandarin when it opened at 6 a.m. Wednesday to get some early reactions from voters about the election results.
Steve Blackburn, who visits the diner every Wednesday for breakfast, said he was pleased when he woke to the news.
“I think this country was going in the wrong direction for quite a few years. Both morally and economically, with immigration and things like that,” Blackburn said.
A few tables over, Ron Singal shared the same feeling but said he has specific hopes for lawmakers moving forward.
“I would like to see Congress be able to produce legislation that benefits everybody. And get away from the old habit of throwing together legislation that does not go anywhere,” Singal said. “Maybe the government will not be stuck in the mud as they have been for the last few years.”
From Mandarin, we headed to the Beach Hut Café in Jacksonville Beach, where reactions were more mixed. A few people told us they were “in mourning” over the results, while most said they were satisfied with the outcome.
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Three friends who play tennis together told us president-elect Trump was their choice but that they also want people to move beyond letting politics divide us.
“We play with tennis players who are on both sides and all sides of the issues. We are friends and that is the way the country should be,” Rick Sanborn said.
Voters also reacted to some hot topics in Florida, including constitutional amendments to legalize recreational marijuana and protect abortion rights, which both failed.
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Brenda Watford said that surprised her.
“I was kinda on the fence for both of those. I had a lot of soul-searching of which way I was going to go, especially with 4 (the abortion amendment),” Watford said. “I feel like that was a personal issue and it’s something that you do not talk about with people.”