Obama triumphs in historic election

As of press time, Obama had won 349 electoral votes, surpassing Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.)'s 159 votes, and captured 52 percent of the popular vote.

"A new dawn of American leadership is at hand," Obama told supporters in Chicago and millions across America, including rapt listeners all across Princeton's campus. "To all those who have wondered if America's beacon still burns bright: Tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals."

McCain, meanwhile, expressed his support for the next president.

"In a contest as long and difficult as this campaign has been, his success alone commands my respect for his ability and perseverance," McCain said. "But that he managed to do so by inspiring the hopes of so many millions of Americans who had once wrongly believed that they had little at stake or little influence in the election of an American president is something I deeply admire and commend him for achieving."

Reached after the election, an ebullient Rob Weiss '09, president of the College Democrats, expressed gratitude to members of the College Democrats for "[leaving] literature at every door on campus explaining where you can go to vote" and for campaigning for Obama throughout the fall.

"[MSNBC host] Chris Matthews referred to how Obama smoked John McCain in Bucks County, [Pa.]," Weiss said. "We've been running trips into Bucks County every weekend since the school year started. That's a whole lot of doors knocked on: in the tens of thousands."

"This is not just a win, this is a mandate," he said.

College Republicans president Andrew Malcolm '09 said that while many Republicans on campus are "disappointed" at the results of the election, McCain's loss did have a silver lining: "membership in the College Republicans surged."

"People never really interested in politics got excited about John McCain and his message," Malcolm said. "We had people campaigning in Virginia and Pennsylvania this fall - the College Republicans are glad to have worked for such a man."

A hopeful Malcolm said he was ready to "wish Obama well."

"I am an American before I am a Republican, so I hope that he is a good president," Malcolm said.

Democrats win big

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Obama captured 83 percent of the vote in the two districts that comprise most of Princeton's campus, District 1 in the Borough and District 12 in the Township, with John McCain winning 15 percent of the vote. Princeton students make up a large majority of the voters in these districts.

Student turnout was heavy at local polling stations, with a steady stream of Princetonians arriving at Trinity Church in Borough District 1 and Icahn Lab in Township District 12 to vote. Weiss said that at his last count, 905 students had voted in District 1. A tally obtained from the Borough shows that 927 people voted in that district. District 12, meanwhile, had 472 voters.

These margins were reflected in the Borough and the Township at large. Obama won 81 percent of the vote in the Borough, compared to 17 percent for McCain. In the Township, 76 percent of voters registered their support for Obama, while 22 percent voted for McCain.

Democrats also swept elections in New Jersey. Rep. Rush Holt (D-N.J.) and Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) both won re-election. Three Democrats defended their seats on the Borough Council and two Democrats were elected to the Township Committee. Three Democratic Freeholders were elected to Mercer County government. Districts 1 and 12 voted overwhelmingly for the Democrats in all these races.

A new leader

Many voters interviewed by The Daily Princetonian as they left the polls had attitudes about Obama ranging from effusive to confidently supportive.

"I hope Obama wins; if he doesn't I'm moving," Dominic Salerno '10 said.

Salerno said that he believes that Obama's campaign engendered a broader change in the national psyche. As a result of Obama's campaign, "People are being more proactive ... [Obama] is encouraging people to make change in their daily lives," he said.

Tomiko Ballantyne-Nisbett GS said that voting for the first black president was an emotional moment for her. Ballantyne-Nisbett said she called her parents immediately after she voted.

"I was like ‘Mom, I voted for a black man' ... My vote meant a lot to them," Ballantyne-Nisbett said. Her parents, who are from the Caribbean, aren't eligible to vote.

First-time voter Carly Cline '10 said "she never really cared about politics before," but in this election, she "actually started having opinions." Cline said she voted for Obama.

Ryan Burden '11 almost voted for McCain. "I was going to vote for McCain before [Alaska Gov.] Sarah Palin (R) became his running mate," Burden said.

Amid the fervent excitement for Obama pervading campus, the small enclave of Republican students reflected on their experiences as both rewarding and frustrating.

The big moment

As the results flooded television stations throughout the night, campus took on a festive aura as students glued themselves to the big screens in Whig Hall and Frist Campus Center, in their dorm rooms, residential colleges, eating clubs and other pockets around campus.

The USG began handing out "White House Bicker 2008" T-shirts at Whig at 9 p.m. Fifteen minutes later, all 400 had been claimed. Students then feasted throughout the night on kettle corn, taco bell, pizza, cider and doughnuts.

Taylor Stewart-Cannon '12 said the turnout at the results-watching party is indicative of the younger generation's interest in the political process.

"I'm definitely impressed by the turnout," Stewart-Cannon said. "It is more evidence that our generation has taken ownership of the future."

Simona Li '10 said she would "tell [her] grandkids about" watching the results come in on campus.

With the announcement of Obama's victory at 11 p.m., frenzied Obama supporters ran around campus well into the night, some banging on pots and pans.

Weiss described the mood of Democrats on campus: "We're obviously incredibly excited. This is not only a win for Obama, which is long predicted, this is an absolute landslide. We've picked up states we haven't won in ages."