Donald Trump wins U.S. Presidency in Election Day surprise

Donald Trump wins U.S. Presidency in Election Day surprise

NY businessman, reality TV star denies Clinton White House bid

ralphhardin@gmail.com Call it a “Dewey defeats Truman” for the 21st Century, or simply call it an upset that no one in the media saw coming.

Either way, businessman and entrepreneur Donald Trump shocked experts on both sides of the political spectrum by winning the U.S. Presidency in an Election Night thriller that had voters either glued to their TV sets, the Internet or smart phones watching the results trickle in, or fighting to keep their eyes open as the numbers crept upward and the hour grew later.

Even the most conservative media outlets were calling for a victory for Democratic nominee, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Trump, the Republican, did not even seem to have the support of many in his own party. But once votes began to be counted and state after state showed an unexpected wave of support for Trump, election commentators began to shift from an inevitable Clinton win to trying to find a “path to 270” for the first female major party presidential candidate in U.S. history.

In the end, there was no “path to 270,” as battleground state after battleground state ultimately went Trump’s way. At 1 a.m. (2 a.m. in New York), the Clinton crew called it a night and went home with no winner declared. But the writing was on the wall, and in the late night hours, once Pennsylvania and Michigan were declared for Trump, the GOP candidate was over the hump. Although a few states remained in the “too close to call” category this morning, the 270 Electoral Votes required to clinch the victory were already in Trump’s grasp.

Turnout was high, with more than 120 million votes cast. The Trump win also coincided with an alsounexpected surge in support for Republican Senators, who are projected

to maintain a slight majority in the U.S. Senate following the election. As expected, the GOP also maintained an edge in the House, giving the Republicans control of the White House and Congress.

By Ralph Hardin