Election night, six months later

[SingingAnalyst]

I think a lot of us remember the election not turning out the way we expected.

[Frozen Sky Ever Why]

I supported Clinton. My brain thought she would win, but in my heart I knew this country would never choose competence over celebrity and charisma.

[TheSaint250]

Going into it, I thought Hillary was guaranteed to win.

Election Day turned out to be one of the best days of my life.

[Rookie Yinzer]

Clinton supporter.

I expected Hillary to win, but a few days before I was talking with a friend and told them I felt Trump was going to win. You just don't see the amount of Trump signs I saw far and wide in red and blue states (I travel a lot for work) and the candidate not win. Still, I thought Hillary would barely pull it out. I didn't see Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin flipping at all. It was truly a night I will never forget.

[DPKdebator]

Despite all the polls and analyses pointing to the contrary, I honestly had a bit of a gut feeling Trump would win. I knew/know very few people who actually liked Clinton but many who like Trump. My school's poll was 44-41 Clinton-Trump in a town that went 57-42 Obama-Romney, which kind of gave me the logic that "if he's not doing so terrible in Mass, he's probably doing even better elsewhere".

[MAINEiac4434]

Three or so days before the election, I got very, very scared that Trump would win. So scared that on the Sunday before the election, I couldn't sleep. I remember sharing these feelings to a friend of mine, who reminded me that "This is the same country that elected Barack Obama twice. Trump's screwed." By the time Nov. 8 rolled around, though, that had passed and I was exuberant imaging a smashing victory that would send Trump back to his gilded tower with his tail between his legs, end Mike Pence's political career and have the deplorables weeping into their MAGA hats.

It was the worst night of my life, and for several hours I contemplated suicide.

[Phony Moderate]

I was probably 75-80% sure (i.e. less than a lot of those predictor tools) that Clinton would win.

That began to drop sharply as soon as I saw the very first returns from Indiana and Kentucky.

[Dr Oz Lost Party!]

Well going into the day I was a clinton supporter and I felt somewhat confident, but I had a feeling in the back of my head that something was off.

[mencken]

Going into it, I thought Hillary was guaranteed to win.

Election Day turned out to be one of the best days of my life.

Pretty much this. Not that I ddin't think that the potential was there for a polling error in Trump's favor (see my penultimate prediction ) but I assumed that even in such a scenario there would be enough ballots would be "discovered" to tip the election Ms. Clinton's way. Most of the day was rather gloomy, until about 4 PM PDT when the New Hampshire results started trickling in and Clinton, while leading, was doing leagues of magnitude worse than Obama 2012. This was the first sign that made me think Trump could win after all, although I did not fully believe it until he started leading in Florida despite Miami/Broward results being mostly in (at which point what I saw in New Hampshire was also on display in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Virginia)

[Beet]

I never really thought Clinton would win. I did admittedly become confident for about half an hour, 8:30 pm to 9 pm on election night.

I remember logging into PredictIt at 8:30 pm, seeing that Clinton was trading at 89% and the odds of a Democratic president were trading at 90%. Then, I went to Panera Bread and ordered a sandwich. The cashier was extremely nice and went out of his way to make sure I didn't pay for the sandwich. I thanked him. He was really worried about getting caught, and so I made sure to sit in a corner of the (empty) store where I wouldn't be seen eating. I ate the sandwich for about 30 minutes, not looking at the news. During that 30 minutes, I was calm and confident. At a little after 9 pm after stepping out of the Panera Bread, I checked PredictIt again. Clinton's odds had dropped to 75%. This was the start of a rapid downward spiral.

A few minutes later, I checked it again and she was at 71%. At this point, I needed to board a train. It was around 9:15 pm. The train was nearly empty except for two other people I could see. The man to my right, was sitting across the aisle from me, a young man of South Asian descent. He was looking intently down at his phone with an expression of disappointment on his face. In the seat in front of him was a young woman, who kept refreshing the 538 blog on her laptop. I could not see her expression. Sometime after 11 she turned off her laptop. Throughout the rest of the whole train ride, I just sat there refreshing PredictIt, and I had a feeling that can best be described as dead in the water. I felt dead in the water. What made it slightly better was texting with some friends about the entire event, they were more optimistic than me. They thought Hillary still had a chance, when I could see from PredictIt that it was over.

[elcorazon]

Clinton supporter.

I expected Hillary to win, but a few days before I was talking with a friend and told them I felt Trump was going to win. You just don't see the amount of Trump signs I saw far and wide in red and blue states (I travel a lot for work) and the candidate not win. Still, I thought Hillary would barely pull it out. I didn't see Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin flipping at all. It was truly a night I will never forget.

I remember back in 2004, I think when all I ever saw were Ron Paul signs. That Paul presidency was something.

I thought Clinton would win, but honestly, I literally had an anxiety attack the week before the election as I realized that the election literally had been fixed and that as a result Trump was going to win. By election day, I was calmer in my view that Clinton would still eke it out but I was not in any way, comfortable that she would win. Quite possibly the worst day in America since 9/11, maybe actually worse than 9/11

[Xing]

Going into it, I thought Hillary was almost guaranteed to win.

Election Day turned out to be one of the bestworst days of my life.

I wasn't even a diehard Hillary fan, but I was more ashamed of my country than I've ever been, and that's saying a ton. Confidence turned into concern, concern turned into fear, fear turned into anger, and anger turned into a bloodthirsty desire for vengeance. I definitely cooled down a bit after that, but I maintain that history will not be kind to the America of 2016.

[Mr. Morden]

Clinton supporter.

I expected Hillary to win, but a few days before I was talking with a friend and told them I felt Trump was going to win. You just don't see the amount of Trump signs I saw far and wide in red and blue states (I travel a lot for work) and the candidate not win. Still, I thought Hillary would barely pull it out. I didn't see Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin flipping at all. It was truly a night I will never forget.

I remember back in 2004, I think when all I ever saw were Ron Paul signs. That Paul presidency was something.

Why would you have seen Ron Paul signs in 2004?

[Mr. Smith]

Trump (Clinton supporter)

The doubt was obvious at 9/11, and while P*(yghazi briefly turned things around, then Comeyghazi happened and ensured it.

Only things I got wrong were: The nature of Trump's win, and which three states would do it.

Me: Trump wins by 2 points
Actual: Trump loses by 2 points, but that doesn't matter

Me: Trump flips WI,NH, and NV, is since NV is a bellwether state and more reliable than Ohio has been since 1912. This puts him 12 EVs over the line
Actual: Nope, NH holds and Nevada pulls an NM 2000. It's PA and MI that flip instead and put him 36 EVs over. WI flips though.


I remember I just got a new haircut as if the old one was a bad omen [given the rest of the year], and I had work from 4-7, and it was about an hour in that the returns started coming.  I remember breathing a sigh of relief when I saw the counties that Clinton took in NC, despite hearing on he radio about the absurdly long lines.

...Then the precinct numbers were 34%, I knew it was gonna be bad, the early Virginia returns, along with Clinton starting Ohio at only 48% confirmed what I was thinking all along...and then it got into the Midwest. I remember talking to a rare Trump supporter [I made a bet BEFORE 9/11-ghazi] of mine from work after getting home...I remember him being like "Well maybe she'll pull it through if she can get Arizona and Michigan, he took Pennsylvania, right?", I explained that she needs to keep Pennsylvania and hold both MI and AZ to still win....cut to him flipping Pennsylvania.

[SingingAnalyst]

I supported Clinton. My brain thought she would win, but in my heart I knew this country would never choose competence over celebrity and charisma.

I am curious, attorney Geoff Fieger is somewhat of a charismatic celebrity in metro Detroit; does he have a chance in 2020? Is he well known in PA?

[SingingAnalyst]

Clinton supporter.

I expected Hillary to win, but a few days before I was talking with a friend and told them I felt Trump was going to win. You just don't see the amount of Trump signs I saw far and wide in red and blue states (I travel a lot for work) and the candidate not win. Still, I thought Hillary would barely pull it out. I didn't see Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin flipping at all. It was truly a night I will never forget.

So far, after 64 votes, the poll is about what I expected: 90% of 42 Clinton supporters, 60% of 15 Trump supporters, and 100% of 7 other supporters expected Clinton to win.

I am a Johnson supporter who expected Clinton to win. I stopped watching TV around midnight, expecting Clinton to come through (CO had just been called for her). I slept soundly, woke up at 3 AM to the news that Trump had won, and tossed and turned the rest of the night.

Truly, it was an election like no other.

[JGibson]

Going into Election Night, I expected Clinton to win and at least a 50+VP Senate control for the Dems. I knew that the Dems would make a few gains, but the GOP would keep the House.

The moment it turned from a Clinton-favored night into an it's anybody's game scenario was before 9:00PM ET/8:00PM CT, when Florida was trending in Trump's direction and Virginia wasn't called for Clinton at that point.  The moment when it truly became Trump-favored was just after 10:00PM ET/9:00PM CT, when Iowa and Ohio were going decently for him, and Michigan and Minnesota weren't called right away for the Democrat.

It's not just Clinton's loss that ticks me off to no end, but the fact that we couldn't regain the Senate frustrates me more because of the fact that it might've put a lid on a few of the more out-there Trump cabinet picks and a shot at moving SCOTUS to the left. Making this night worse was Eric Greitens winning the Governorship in Missouri. As if it wasn't bad enough, at the county level where I live (Madison IL), the GOP took over the County Board and the Chairman role.

Seeing Tammy Duckworth and Maggie Hassan win and Joe Arpaio and Dwight Kay lose their races were the only highlights for me that night.

[SingingAnalyst]

Three or so days before the election, I got very, very scared that Trump would win. So scared that on the Sunday before the election, I couldn't sleep. I remember sharing these feelings to a friend of mine, who reminded me that "This is the same country that elected Barack Obama twice. Trump's screwed." By the time Nov. 8 rolled around, though, that had passed and I was exuberant imaging a smashing victory that would send Trump back to his gilded tower with his tail between his legs, end Mike Pence's political career and have the deplorables weeping into their MAGA hats.

It was the worst night of my life, and for several hours I contemplated suicide.

Are you feeling better now? I hope so.

[Vern]

I voted for Trump on election day and still would today. Not because I like him, but became IMO he is better than Clinton, but not by much...

[Lord Admirale]

Three or so days before the election, I got very, very scared that Trump would win. So scared that on the Sunday before the election, I couldn't sleep. I remember sharing these feelings to a friend of mine, who reminded me that "This is the same country that elected Barack Obama twice. Trump's screwed." By the time Nov. 8 rolled around, though, that had passed and I was exuberant imaging a smashing victory that would send Trump back to his gilded tower with his tail between his legs, end Mike Pence's political career and have the deplorables weeping into their MAGA hats.

It was the worst night of my life, and for several hours I contemplated suicide.

Oh shut up. I'm gonna share some real personal details right now; I have lived most of my life as a depressed and a suicidal person. I've been through some real thick sh*t; sh*t that is more gruesome and unbearable than the candidate I supported losing an election. When McCain lost to Obama in 2008, someone I supported reluctantly, but supported nonetheless, I didn't contemplate suicide AT ALL. I just thought, "Well, he lost. I don't like that, but there will be another presidential election in four years." Same story with 2012. I supported Mitt Romney (reluctantly), and didn't contemplate suicide when I lost. And I know deep down, I wasn't gonna commit suicide if Hillary won.

If you did actually contemplate suicide when Trump won, then you must be a very suicidal person and need psychological/mental/emotional help immediately. If not, then you made an extremely low attempt at showing how much you hate Trump and you oughta feel ashamed of yourself. Only a truly disgusting person would claim that.

By the way, if that was the "worst night of your life", then I am very jealous of you. Quit being a little baby and throwing a pity party for yourself.

[I Won - Get Over It]

I was pretty sure that Trump would lose PV by 0-3% and barely win EV.

I was prepared for long, long night and recounting.

But it went so fast. And dizzy. I had no emotions and just couldn't help watching (CNN) in few more hours. Echoing.


Then came understanding that the new era had just begun. The 'forgotten' people gave the finger. No matter what outcome would be it just felt right.

Then, I don't why, I had a thought that Bernie would probably win.

[catographer]

My night went quite fast, and I actually don't remember much from it even though I was glued to my television and computer the entire time. I was a big Clinton supporter, was pretty confident she would win. I gave lip service to the hypothetical possibility that Trump could win, but I never seriously considered it. I was very shocked, but not sad or angry, just surprised and frustrated. Actually I was somewhat impressed with Trump's campaign, considered they won despite their horrible candidate. Most of it was a blur, probably because of my shock.

In hindsight I still can't believe so many people thought Clinton was THAT bad, but in the end I come to the realization that he won because many many people who didn't like him nor her just wanted to try something different, give change a chance. It was a gut choice for many, and hopefully enough people learn from this election and know that next time, don't vote with your gut.

[#TheShadowyAbyss]

Clinton supporter - I was so confident Clinton was going to win that I pretty much gloated about it to my rare Trump supporting friends. Once I saw the returns from Indiana and Kentucky and Trump polling so well in West Virginia and early Virginia returns going overwhelmingly Trump. I knew we were in trouble.

[NeverAgain]

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I am very sorry to hear that, but that gives you no right to attack others for their own mental health problems, and instead should elicit empathy, not anger and hate.

 

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Okay? All what your saying means, is that you are not, or perceive to not be, directly impacted by the results of elections, which is untrue for millions of Americans. Elections matter, bigly, whether you believe/feel it or not. This is incredibly true for those of the Latino communities where families are currently being violently ripped apart, because of this election. It is true for those of the LGBT community who are being fired because of their sexual orientation. So, it's not about just a "candidate losing an election." This is real life for millions of Americans.

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The situations are entirely different, and you are entirely ignorant if you do not see that. Trump is not a McCain or a Romney. We've had McCains and Romneys. I don't like them, but I would feel safe in their nation, and I think this sentiment is true for many other Americans. I do not feel safe in Trump's America. So, while I would not contemplate suicide because I have a much different life experience and am much less affected by the Trump agenda, than so many, I know that this feeling is not because a Republican won. It is because this "Republican" won.

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I would second this entirely, if not professional help, feel free to talk to friends. I am always open for a chat, if you need help. I have large Dumbo ears, so I am a pretty good listener, .

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I have no doubt that many people did contemplate suicide, and there is actual evidence that suicide rates went up, specifically for LGBT Teens after the election, along with hate crimes and violence against minorities (different discussion though). I would hope that MAINEiac's statement is false, and just an exaggeration of the pain millions were feeling on election night, but I do not doubt in the slightest that comtemplations and actual suicides did occur due to the President's election.

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I can fit myself in that boat of it being one of the worst nights in my life. The passing of family members is something that is a very awful night, but I was able to get over it because, of course, these things are inevitable and do happen in the course of life. But the election of this President, wasn't inevitable. It was a shock and a deep sadness for millions of Americans, if not for the agenda that was proposed, but the realization of those that voted for him were fellow Americans and bought into the vitriol.

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Quit being a unempathetic jerk. If you truly experienced some of the same things that MAINEiac experienced, then you shouldn't see this as a pity party or telling someone to suck it up. You can disagree over politics, but empathizing with a fellow human over such a tragic affliction you share is something that shouldn't be bled into by politics. 

I'd ask you to apologize for doing this, but it depresses me that it would likely be rebutted with a vitriolic trumped up "do you want a safe space" or a "suck it up" type response. But I'll still ask that you do look to a better nature and apologize for stating such harmful words to an individual.

[Kingpoleon]

Three or so days before the election, I got very, very scared that Trump would win. So scared that on the Sunday before the election, I couldn't sleep. I remember sharing these feelings to a friend of mine, who reminded me that "This is the same country that elected Barack Obama twice. Trump's screwed." By the time Nov. 8 rolled around, though, that had passed and I was exuberant imaging a smashing victory that would send Trump back to his gilded tower with his tail between his legs, end Mike Pence's political career and have the deplorables weeping into their MAGA hats.

It was the worst night of my life, and for several hours I contemplated suicide.

I say this for your own good: Please stop paying attention to politics. Do you not understand the value of life? Do you really think Trump's victory has made life that much worse for many people?

To those of you reading this besides the person I quoted, most of you see a problem with this. Our media has brainwashed our nation. That anyone could contemplate suicide because The Other Party Won is awful. To those ideological, demagogical, horrible, horrible news networks I say: you have so demonized your opponents that when you lose your supporters contemplate suicide. In the name of humanity, I beg you to stop. You have shot no bodies with bullets. You have proven the pen mightier than the sword, words stronger than any punch. You don't shoot bodies with bullets - you brainwash minds. Let us suppose MAINEiac is the only one who contemplated suicide. Would you not even stop for one human life? I know the powers that be, the media I rant to in my mind will never read this, but it can be said that I did not speak out. Soon, that will change. Soon, your hate will be exposed.