WSU students watching as the results come in earlier in the night. Photo by Mick Cauthen.
Haley Smith, Mick Cauthen and David Johnson reporting.
Donald Trump has won the presidential race in Jackson County and wins the state of North Carolina.
Trump won Jackson County with 52 percent of the vote, while Hillary Clinton garnered 41 percent of the vote.
Some students are jovial while others are despondent with the current state of the presidential election count at the WCU election watch party.
Uncomfortable tensions among Democrats at the WCU election watch party shifted into panic and disbelief after Donald Trump built an electoral lead of 139-104.
The Republican presidential candidate currently leads several swing states that have yet to be called, according to CNN projections.
“It just goes to show polls don’t mean nothing,” shouted one Trump supporter in the crowd of about 150 students.
“It’s insane. I actually didn’t expect it to be this way,” WCU political science major Wyatt Jones. “I expected it to be called for Clinton by now.”
“I’m very surprised,” said event organizer Ashlynn Landreth. “I didn’t think it would be this close,” added Landreth.
“I’m on the verge of tears… I have to leave,” said one left-leaning student, who requested her name be kept anonymous.
Activity at polling places was smooth and steady throughout the day, according to Jackson County Board of Elections Director Lisa Lovedahl. There were only some small problems reported by our reporters and posted on WCJ twitter.
As of 10:20 p.m. with 70 percent of the votes from North Carolina reporting in, Trump maintains a slight lead and the financial markets are dropping as Trump prospects in Florida improve.
During the day Western Carolina Journalist has been following and updating results from Jackson County.
The results for Jackson County are:
President: Donald Trump by 2,142 votes (3,254 including third party and write-in)
U.S. Senate: Richard Burr by 1,611 votes (2,447 including third party)
U.S. House of Representatives: Mark Meadows by 1,406 votes
N.C. Governor: Roy Cooper by 396 votes (981 including third party)
N.C. Lieutenant Governor: Dan Forest by 1,705 votes (2,416 including third party)
N.C. Attorney General: Buck Newton by 611 votes
N.C. Auditor: Chuck Stuber by 522 votes
N.C. Commissioner of Agriculture: Steve Troxler by 1,639 votes
N.C. Commissioner of Insurance: Mike Causey by 771 votes
N.C. Commissioner of Labor: Cherie Berry by 2,344 votes (2,368 including write-in)
N.C. Secretary of State: Elaine Marshall by 320 votes
N.C. Superintendent of Public Instruction: Mark Johnson by 1,106 votes
N.C. Treasurer: Dale Folwell by 1,470 votes
N.C. Senate Seat District 50: Jim Davis by 1,453 votes
N.C. House of Representatives Seat District 119: Mike Clambitt by 215 votes
Jackson County Board of Commissioners: Ron Mau by 1,181 votes and Mickey Lucker by 1,169 votes
N.C. Supreme Court Associate Justice: Michael Morgan by 2.148 votes
N.C. Court of Appeals Judges: Phil Berger by 455 votes, Hunter Murphy by 1,829 votes (3,029 including independent), Bob Hunter by 1,822 votes, Richard Dietz by 1,961 votes and Valerie Zachary by 1,698 votes.
N.C. District 30 Court Judge: Kimberly Carpenter by 669 votes and Richard Walker, no contest.
See what some of the people who were at the Board of Elections in Sylva said. Produced by David Johnson.
