Former President Donald J. Trump won Pennsylvania Tuesday night, ensuring a historic second term in the White House. But he did it without the votes of most of the Delaware Valley. So, how do local residents feel about his victory? Opinions broke down along party lines.
While a majority of Delaware, Chester and Montgomery County voters cast their ballots for Harris, for the first time since 1988, Bucks County voters backed a Republican, at 50.69 to 48.35 percent for Trump.
Bucks County GOP Chairwoman Pat Poprik was pleased with the result.
“We are extremely proud of the results from Bucks County yesterday. What we saw was the culmination of a lot of hard work by the campaigns, committee members, dedicated volunteers, and grassroots conservative leaders,” Poprik said. “The voters, both in Bucks and nationwide, sent a clear message last night that we want a president who will improve the economy, secure the border, and make America strong, safe and respected on the world stage. That person is our 45th and soon to be inaugurated as our 47th President of the United States, Donald J. Trump!”
Delaware Valley residents reacted with jubilation or trepidation, depending on their political leanings.
“The election last night broke my heart and head. I’m certain there are many of you out there who feel similarly dizzied by the results,” wrote Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-Chester) on social media.
She encouraged people “to grieve and to question,” but to make sure they took care of themselves and others who were hurting.
Chester County resident and political candidate turned pundit Guy Ciarrocchi said, “This win is not simply about the amazing comeback of President Trump. It’s bigger.
“The future of the GOP is not (yet) Malvern, it’s Mayfair. It’s not C-suites execs, it’s small business owners who manage from their kitchen tables and their employees. It’s people who build things and want to create and work and control their own destiny,” he said. “The future of America is not New York Times editors telling us what to think. It’s first and second-generation Americans who believe in the American Dream.”
Chester County Democratic Committee Chair Charlotte Valyo said, “Although we are disappointed, we left nothing undone and we accept the decision of the American people. We will continue to work towards bipartisan solutions to the problems that face our nation and the world. Our Democratic elected officials will continue to govern for all their constituents and work to improve the lives of all Americans.”
“Last night was a pivotal moment in taking America back to its core values and constitutional consistency,” said Wayne businesswoman Leslie Morgan. “God bless America! Now let’s go show everyone how to govern effectively and efficiently for the people.”
Philadelphia Democrat political strategist Lindy Li said Harris should have picked Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-Pa.) as her running mate.
“He’s famously a moderate,” she told Fox News. “So that would have signaled to the American people that she is not the San Francisco liberal that Trump said she was, but she went with someone actually to her left from Minnesota.”
Former Radnor Township Commissioner Rich Booker said, “I had predicted that Kamala would lose the election back in August. In response to a comment [someone] made on the golf course that with Biden out, the Democrats have now got a race, and that Kamala could beat Trump. I retorted “Mark it down–Kamala will lose by slightly less than Biden would have.”
“Democrats have gone too far, for too many years,” said Booker. “They never responded to any criticism of their immigration policy. They do not have any sense of what working people think. For many people, they may not have much, but the one thing that they always had, was their country. And the modern, progressive, woke democrats are taking that from them through their open-border immigration policies. They see it, and don’t like it. They let the Democrats know that yesterday.”
Republican state committeewoman Val Biancaniello, a Marple Township resident, said, “This morning, my husband and I are giving thanks to God for the reelection of President Trump. We are everyday conventional Americans who love our country, work hard and want our own children to enjoy the same freedom and opportunities this great country has provided for us. We can sleep again at night knowing under President Trump’s strong leadership, America will be safe and affordable again.”
Longtime Philadelphia political strategist Neil Oxman encouraged people not to overreact.
“My long view is that this country survives everything. The Civil War, the Depression, the Second World War, we’ve survived everything because we have this gigantic stable middle class,” he told DVJournal. “I don’t think the world is going to end.”
