Clinton squeaks by Trump in Virginia
Clinton squeaks by Trump in Virginia:- Hillary Clinton narrowly defeated Donald J. Trump in Virginia Tuesday, propelled by waves of immigrant voters in the heavily Democratic northern suburbs outside Washington.
Clinton’s victory in the swing state came after an anxious and divided electorate turned out in heavy numbers across the Washington region, with a surge of Latino and Muslim voters supporting the Democratic nominee, while a determined core of Republicans remained loyal to Trump.
Amid scattered reports of technical problems, polling stations were inundated with voters who endured long lines to render their verdict in what has been the most bitterly contested presidential race in generations.
While Clinton expected resounding victories in Maryland and the District, both of which are heavily Democratic, she barely managed to hold off Trump in Virginia, a state with 13 electoral votes where she has led in polls.
No matter their choice, many voters expressed anguish over an election defined by unyielding barbs and whiplash-inducing revelations.
“I am so disillusioned in our political system,” said Belinda Randle, 59, a D.C. resident who cast her ballot for Clinton. “I am voting because it’s my duty, but I don’t expect any of them to do anything anymore.”
Others were more enthusiastic, whether crowing over the raw tone of Trump’s campaign or the thrill of possibly electing the nation’s first female president.
“It’s not because she’s the lesser of two evils,” said Monica Sukhatme, a 33-year-old resident of Chevy Chase, Md., explaining her vote for Clinton. “It’s because she deserves to win with the record she’s had.”
Turnout among Latino voters seemed especially robust in Northern Virginia, with immigrants such as Marie Vargas, 72, saying they had recently become citizens so they could vote for Clinton.
Vargas’s granddaughter and first-time voter, Jesenia Gomez, 19, also chose Clinton after growing fed up with Trump’s criticism of Latinos and promise to build a wall separating the United States from Mexico.
“It’s time for a change and I don’t think separating people is what we need right now, “ Gomez said at a polling station in Woodbridge.
Yet, Trump supporters were also discernable among the immigrants who voted.
Polash Chowdhurry, 60, a Muslim who immigrated to the United States from Bangladesh in 1985, said he was voting for Trump because he would break up what he described as Washington’s “cartel.”
Referring to Trump’s promise to ban Muslims from the United States, Chowdhurry said, “He’s not against Muslim people. He’s against Muslim terrorists.”
Voting proceeded smoothly in most places, though there were occasional reports of problems. By midday, voters at one Prince George’s County polling station were waiting nearly two hours because only one ballot scanner was available for a precinct of 2,600 registered voters.
The latest Election Day news
At the Clearview Elementary School polling station in Herndon, voters expressed a wide spectrum of views about Clinton and Trump, their often clashing perspectives echoing divisions that have emerged nationally.
“I looked at Trump and said, ‘Oh hell, no,’” said Tom Robinson, a systems analyst for the Defense Department. “He’s a nasty, vindictive individual.”
Nancy Fish, 65, a retired teacher’s assistant in special education, said she couldn’t vote for Clinton “because of the dishonesty factor.” “Trump and the Republicans have the same policies that match my Christian convictions,” she said.
In Maryland, Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D) beat Republican Kathy Szeliga, a state delegate from Baltimore County, to succeed retiring Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski (D).
In Virginia, Rep. Barbara Comstock (R) beat back a robust challenge from Democrat LuAnn Bennett in the 10th Congressional District, which includes Loudoun and portions of Fairfax and Prince William counties.
In Washington, voters in Ward 7 elected Vincent C. Gray to the D.C. Council, capping a political rebirth for the former mayor, who lost reelection in 2014 amid a campaign finance scandal.
Source:- https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/2016/11/08/33de1518-a213-11e6-8d63-3e0a660f1f04_story.html
