Nerves filled all four floors of Whig Hall as the results of the election were broadcast live to the room during the Whig-Clio’s election night watch party. The event, hosted by Whig-Clio and Vote 100, aimed to encourage an inclusive and bipartisan environment for students during a contentious time politically.
“We think it’s very important to have a place for all people to come together and to be able to watch the results together without being explicitly in favor of one candidate or the other,” Whig-Clio Society President Daniel Shaw ’25 told The Daily Princetonian. “At the end of the day, we are one country.”
The Senate Chamber of the Whig Hall watch party featured three main viewing screens, broadcasting MSNBC, PBS, and Fox News, alternating the audio feed between MSNBC and Fox News each hour. The basement lodge and third floor of Whig Hall served as a quieter viewing space, showing only MSNBC and Fox News respectively for attendees who preferred to watch the election results in a space with like-minded students. The Senate was filled with around 100 students, while both other floors held about 20.
“There are a lot of people who feel very strongly in their political beliefs, and we fully support that … but we want to diverge from the trend overall in the nation,” Whig Party Chair Sophia Burnston ’27 told the ‘Prince.’ “We’ve been seeing a lot of polarization, and our small way of fighting [that is] to show that collaboration is key and that we can work together and provide events that all students feel comfortable attending.”
The event was kicked off by a performance by the Princeton University Band, followed by panels held throughout the night. Fuzzy Dice, one of Princeton’s improv groups, also performed at midnight. Event planners selected panelists and guest speakers from both liberal and conservative organizations to further promote a bipartisan experience.
Professor Sam Wang discussed the Princeton Gerrymandering Project, while Professor Ron Allen talked about journalistic integrity and Professor John Londregan presented on political and legal affairs. The Student Legal Panel, Student Journalism Panel, and Student Political Panel also presented, though the volume in the Senate due to incoming election results overtook the speakers after 9:15 p.m.
“It is chaotic. It is really energetic. People are definitely hyped up to see what the result is,” Sarina Hegli ’25, ambassador for Vote 100, told the ‘Prince.’ “I hope that we do get a result tonight, but I’ve never been in a more excited Whig Senate chamber.”
Most seats in the Senate were filled at the start of the night, with students coming and going throughout the evening.
“I remember being here for the midterms race, and there were a lot more people sitting in the back doing work, but almost everyone here is talking or watching the news pretty intently,” Eleanor Monroe ’25 told the ‘Prince.’ “Everyone’s tuned in.”
“You only have one time to do it in college, so I came to the heart of politics,” attendee Joyce Yang ’27, explained.
While the Whig-Clio watch party was the largest election night gathering on campus, the College Republicans also hosted an event in Robertson 100. Their event was open to all Princeton students, regardless of political affiliation.
“I know [Whig] was very busy, we wanted to have a different space where people from all political backgrounds could come and enjoy a historic night in American history,” President of College Republicans William Neumann ’27 told the ‘Prince.’
At the event, the chalkboard read “College Republicans Election Night Watch Party (Democrats Welcome Too).” During this event, one attendee hung a Trump flag, however, the flag was soon taken down.
“I thought it would be fun to watch with people who probably voted the same way,” Anna Solzhenitsyn ’25 said. “I wanted to meet fellow Republicans; they’re hard to find here.”
Princetonians await to hear the final results of this election, as of publication.
Editor’s note: This piece has been updated to reflect that the ‘Prince’ could not independently verify why the Trump flag at the College Republicans event was taken down.
Devon Rudolph is a News contributor for the ‘Prince.’
Maya Mukherjee contributed reporting.
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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