The Associated Press
Leader Photo by Greg Mellis Poll workers at Shawano City Hall direct voters to their correct district during voting early Tuesday.
Leader Photo by Greg Mellis Steady lines of voters filled Shawano City Hall early Tuesday.
Donald Trump was elected America's 45th president Tuesday, an astonishing victory for a celebrity businessman and political novice who capitalized on voters' economic anxieties, took advantage of racial tensions and overcame a string of sexual assault allegations on his way to the White House.
His triumph over Hillary Clinton will end eight years of Democratic dominance of the White House and threatens to undo major achievements of President Barack Obama. He's pledged to act quickly to repeal Obama's landmark health care law, revoke the nuclear agreement with Iran and rewrite important trade deals with other countries, particularly Mexico and Canada.
The Republican blasted through Democrats' longstanding firewall, carrying Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, states that hadn't voted for a GOP presidential candidate since the 1980s. He needed to win nearly all of the competitive battleground states, and he did just that, claiming Florida, Ohio, North Carolina and others.
Trump won Wednesday after capturing Wisconsin's 10 electoral votes, putting him over the 270 threshold.
Global stock markets and U.S. stock futures plunged deeply, reflecting investor alarm over what a Trump presidency might mean for the economy and trade.
The race for president left voters in Shawano County with strong feelings on both sides of the political divide, though Trump won handily here.
With all 43 precincts reporting, Trump had 12,742 votes in the county and Clinton had 6,056.
Raul Lopez, of Shawano, said he voted for Hillary Clinton because his parents are Mexican immigrants, and he strongly opposed Donald Trump’s views on both deporting immigrants and building a wall between the United States and Mexico.
“Ever since I heard him say that, I was like, ‘No way, I’m not going to vote for him,’” Lopez said outside the polling place at Shawano City Hall.
Donna Raddant, of Shawano, cast her ballot for Clinton, too, because she viewed the Democratic nominee as more suited for the job than Trump. Raddant said the deciding factor was Clinton’s record of government service as opposed to the Republican nominee’s lack of experience and his “vulgar” persona.
“Trump is not qualified,” she said. “This is not a game. This is a country you’re running.”
Other voters, however, threw their support behind Trump.
Brad Berger, of Bonduel, said he felt Clinton had grown stale as a candidate over the years. In contrast, Trump offered promising new approaches to repeal federal health care reform and to take a stronger approach against immigration, he said.
“Trump says it how it is. He’s not sugar-coating anything,” Berger said outside the polling place at Bonduel Village Hall.
Another Trump backer, Wendy Swiecichowski, of Shawano, said she had been leaning toward Clinton, but she changed her mind and voted for Trump. Swiecichowski said she decided that the Republican nominee offered more hope for worthwhile change in the federal government.
“I think we need change,” she said. “I think he’s going to make a good, positive four years.”
Paul Adams, of Shawano, said he cast his ballot for Trump, although not without reservations. Adams said he could not bring himself to support Clinton because of nagging questions about her trustworthiness.
“It’s not that I wouldn’t vote for a woman,” Adams said. “Just not that one.”
A New York real estate developer who lives in a sparking Manhattan high-rise, Trump forged a striking connection with white, working class Americans who feel left behind in a changing economy and diversifying country. He cast immigration, both from Latin America and the Middle East, as the root of the problems plaguing many Americans and taped into fears of terrorism emanating at home and abroad.
Trump will take office with Congress expected to be fully under Republican control. GOP Senate candidates fended off Democratic challengers in key states and appeared poised to maintain the majority. Republicans also maintained their grip on the House.
Senate control means Trump will have great leeway in appointing Supreme Court justices, which could mean a major change to the right that would last for decades.
Trump upended years of political convention on his way to the White House, leveling harshly personal insults on his rivals, deeming Mexican immigrants rapists and murderers, and vowing to temporarily suspend Muslim immigration to the U.S. He never released his tax returns, breaking with decades of campaign tradition, and eschewed the kind of robust data and field efforts that helped Obama win two terms in the White House, relying instead on his large, free-wheeling rallies to energize supporters. His campaign was frequently in chaos, and he cycled through three campaign managers this year.
His final campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway, touted the team's accomplishments as the final results rolled in, writing on Twitter that "rally crowds matter" and "we expanded the map."
The mood at Clinton's party grew bleak as the night wore out, with some supporters leaving, others crying and hugging each other. Top campaign aides stopped returning calls and texts, as Clinton and her family hunkered down in a luxury hotel watching the returns.
At 2 a.m., Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta told the crowd to head home for the night. "We're still counting votes and every vote should count," he said.
Trump will inherit an anxious nation, deeply divided by economic and educational opportunities, race and culture.
Exit polls underscored the fractures: Women nationwide supported Clinton by a double-digit margin, while men were significantly more likely to back Trump. More than half of white voters backed the Republican, while nearly 9 in 10 blacks and two-thirds of Hispanics voted for the Democrat.