Residents from all over Durham gathered at the Parts & Labour restaurant in Motorco Music Hall, anxiously watching the nail-biting 2016 election night.
In the early stages, the atmosphere was crowded, boisterous and charged as people chatted excitedly, drinking and eating while watching the MSNBC live stream. The crowd mostly cheered during each Clinton victory and booed during every Trump win, as Durham has become a Democrat stronghold in recent years. Roaring applause broke out when it was announced at 9:45 p.m. that Clinton was leading in Durham with 81 percent of the votes.
Laura Leecanup, who has lived in the Hickory-Lenoir area for the past two years and just graduated from the Aveda Institute Chapel Hill, said that she would normally vote for an independent party, but decided to vote for Clinton in this election. She expressed that the elections have created a divide within the Research Triangle Area community, as many people there are pro-Trump.
“I have friends who were beaten and punched by pro-Trump supporters during rallies,” Leecanup said. “It’s so different once you step outside of the Research Triangle Area.”
Both Leecanup and her sister, Renea Bryant, expressed that although most of their family, including their parents, are Republicans, they have not allowed the elections to affect their relationships with each other.
“I’m actually seeing a Trump supporter right now,” Leecanup said. “We have different political views, but we still get along fine.”
Ivon Lewis, who is originally from Germany but obtained U.S. citizenship 20 years ago, explained that she decided to vote for Clinton “years ago.” She noted that her friends and family back in Germany had strong opinions about the U.S. elections.
“They think that Trump is crazy,” Lewis said. “I struggle to explain [the US elections] to people back in Germany.”
Others noted that they are ready for the election to end. Durham resident Erin McArdle described it as a “circus.”
“I’m sick of it all, I just want it all to be over. I understand that sexism exists and people are afraid of having a female president, but Trump is just a clown,” McArdle said.
Jonathan Katz, acclaimed journalist and author who attended the party, shared his distaste for Trump, who he called a “fascist” and a “proponent of Herrenvolk democracy.”
“I think that this election is very important in determining the future of both the country and the international politics,” Katz said.
North Carolina was one of the fiercest battlegrounds in this election, but the initial dead heat widened to an impressive lead for Trump and finally a win. The mood at the Motorco Watch Party noticeably darkened quickly after Clinton’s North Carolina loss.
McArdle’s partner, Daniella, who is an Ecuadorian immigrant and obtained U.S citizenship two years ago, expressed her deep disappointment at Trump’s win in North Carolina.
She explained that in the misogynist culture in Ecuador, “men tell people what to do and what to say, and I thought the U.S has such a positive culture.” She said she feels that Trump is “backward” and repressive against women.
Nashawa Wilson, ‘Tank’ Wall and Alex Griffith, who all work for Working America in Durham and have been relentlessly campaigning for Clinton in Raleigh, expressed disappointment at the North Carolina result, calling it “depressing.”
“We campaigned so hard for nothing,” said Wilson, who studies at the Durham Technical Community College.
Griffith called the Durham polling stations’ malfunctions “utter bulls***.”
“It’s all very frustrating and exhausting,” she said.
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