At 3:35 a.m. MT on Wednesday, the Associated Press reported that former president Donald Trump had secured the 270 electoral votes required to win the 2024 presidential election in the United States.
With 295 electoral votes to Kamala Harris’ 226 and 50.9% of the popular vote counted, Trump leads the vice president by about 3%, though votes are still being tallied in Nevada and Arizona. Nonetheless, the Denver Republican Party celebrated the victory on Facebook, describing it as a “historical comeback!”
Bucket List spoke with voters and constituents at the Auraria Campus and Union Station after the race was called to hear their thoughts. Jace Lamorie, 18, followed the election late into the night. While the first-year college student said he saw the final results coming, he still “couldn’t really believe it at first because of all the things Trump has been accused of.”
“If I were a woman, I would probably be pretty scared,” Lamorie said.
Dante Sayavong, a first-year MSU student and third-generation immigrant, voted for the first time in this election. “I’m worried about [my family’s] rights being revoked, or them being deported or attacked for not being American,” said Sayavong, who was also concerned about potential changes to his financial aid.
For Sayavong, the needs of the people he cares about, like his sister and female friends, also informed his decision to vote. “Having that knowledge that they will have that right [to abortion] for themselves to be protected helps me feel better,” he said.
Melanie Griffin, 51, was disappointed but not surprised. “We knew it was going to be a squeaker if Kamala was going to pull it off,” she said.
Her sister, Kim Griffin, 54, was much more blunt. “Grossed out, horrified, disgusted,” Kim said. “Just ashamed of my country. How does someone who is clearly complicit in January 6 get re-elected?”Â
The sisters were not the only ones let down by Tuesday’s results. Cayla Brantley, a 31 year old queer firefighter who stopped in Union Station on her way back to Arkansas, described feeling “devastation” when she saw the results.
“I’m stung, and I’m just hurt by the blatant hatred towards people like me,” said Brantley.
For Brantley, the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022 was a defining issue. In her home state of Arkansas, abortion is illegal except for when a patient has a “medical emergency.” She worried about reproductive rights and healthcare more broadly.
“The Republican side of things wants to reverse any kind of women’s healthcare and any queer rights, so I may not be able to get married, which sucks,” Brantley said. “And if, God forbid, I were to be sexually assaulted, would that be an option to have an abortion if I needed it?”
Marqi Berkeley, a 40 year old mother of two who is studying political science and literature at CU Denver, was “angry” and “super upset.”
“I have actually been grieving all day,” Berkeley said. Abortion was also very important to Berkeley, who saw the issue affecting her family directly. “I have a boy and a girl. If the patriarchy keeps continuing, my daughter has no bodily autonomy.”
She also cared about employment and workers’ rights, and she worried that Trump’s tax plan would push her further into debt. This stood in stark contrast to one of Trump’s most effective campaign points, the promise of a better economy and reduced inflation.
According to NBC exit polls, 32% of swing state voters cited the economy as the most important factor in deciding who to vote for; 80% of those voters cast their ballots for Trump. 68% of swing state voters thought the economy is currently “not so good or poor;” 70% of those voted for Trump. 46% of swing state voters said their family’s financial situation is worse than it was four years ago; 81% of those respondents supported Trump.
Brantley, who has encountered this argument personally, doesn’t believe Trump’s proposed policies would reduce inflation. But more than that, she was struck by how persuasive this supposed incentive was.
“Everyone that I talked to that supported the Republican side always wanted to talk about gas prices and grocery prices,” Brantley said. “Even if [Trump] would reduce those prices, it’s kind of sad that they would choose lower prices over the safety of Americans.”
Trump and his running mate, JD Vance, ran on a blend of conservative and populist “promises.” These policies include conducting the “largest deportation operation in American history” to “stop the migrant invasion,” a rollback of civil rights for queer and trans people, lowering the income tax rate for corporations and cutting funding to schools “pushing critical race theory, radical gender ideology, and other inappropriate racial, sexual, or political content on our children.”
The Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025, a far-right policy guide outlining sweeping conservative changes to the federal government, is also looming large in the minds of many voters. While Trump has attempted to distance himself from the ultra-conservative blueprint, more than 100 of his former staffers worked on the project, and Vance has open connections with the think tank.
Amelia Federico, a 22-year-old political science student at MSU, called Project 2025 “frightening.” Responding to Bucket List on Tuesday night, she also felt that Harris failed to distinguish herself from Trump and was frustrated at her lack of connection to voter priorities, especially when it comes to the administration’s position on Gaza.
“If you actually want to flip swing states…you need to actually back up what you’re saying in order for people to trust you,” Federico said. “Biden surpassed Congress to push forward a weapons manufacturing bill … to fund a genocide.”
While no one Bucket List spoke to was happy with Tuesday’s results, many shared a grim acceptance and commitment to preparing for what comes next. Trump will formally take office on January 25, 2025, and has already named campaign manager, Susie Wiles, as his White House Chief of Staff.
Berkeley reflected that she was grateful to live in Colorado, which just codified abortion into the state constitution and adjusted the state’s definition of marriage to include queer relationships. Still, she wants to use this opportunity to mobilize.
“I’m going to try to be more involved in the organizations I think can make a difference,” Berkeley said. “There are still things that have to be done; I still have to go to school; I have a family, so I still have to get up and go with the flow.”
In the meantime, students at the Auraria campus have organized a post-election day “peace space,” offering crafts, snacks and a calming space for students to process the election. Some social media accounts are encouraging users to take care of themselves; others are calling on users to take action.
“I’ve never seen myself as very political, but I like to be really well-informed,” said Sayavong, who will be getting more involved politically due to the election. “Especially as we’re getting older, we need to know what’s going to happen in our futures and how to best set us up for that.”