In 2 Hours: When Washoe Democrats’ Hope Faded
By Daniel Lang
On Election night, over 800 onlookers came to the Grand Sierra Resort’s Washoe County watch party for Democrats. Many not only hoped for but expected crisp wins for Hillary Clinton and Catherine Cortez Masto — what they witnessed instead was a story quite contrary.
8:05 p.m. The crowd that gathered in the ballroom roared with applause as the live projector announced Clinton’s victories in California, Oregon, Washington and Hawaii. They booed Donald Trump’s victory in Idaho.
As results poured in from the across the nation, Clinton pushed ahead in delegates.
Then she fell behind.
Within the hour, Clinton held 209 seats while Trump led with 244.
“It [Trump’s potential victory] scares the hell out of me,” said Richard Mitry, 63.
“The suspense of watching the election fall one way or the other…” said Kyle Teran, 25. “It’s worrying…”
For Teran, who received his bachelor’s from the University of Nevada, Reno in political science, this was his second presidential election.
“It scares the hell out of me,” said Richard Mitry, 63. Mitry says he’s voted as a Democrat in nearly every election for the past 30 to 40 years.
9:14 p.m. The projector displayed Catherine Cortez Masto as victor of the Nevada U.S. Senate race. The crowd hugged, and released cries of cathartic relief.
While Washoe County has 95,072 voters registered as Democrats, 98,500 are registered as Republicans.
Masto’s victory did little to ease tension in the room over Clinton’s fate.
“I’m on pins and needles,” said Maria Lopez, 72. Lopez has volunteered for Clinton’s presidential campaign in 2008 and again in 2016. “My thoughts are still on making Hillary the first woman president and making history. … I just kind of wonder, some of those states, did they work as hard?”
“She [Clinton] has been involved for a long time,” said Alejandra Restrepo, 20, a junior at UNR. “Women deserve it.”
9:33 p.m. The crowd cheered again, this time as the projector displayed Clinton as victor of Nevada.
“We did everything we could…” Maria Lopez said, knowing her work in Nevada contributed to Clinton’s success there.
By 10 p.m. Lopez felt the presidential win for Clinton seemed less likely — she came to accept that Trump could win.
“We did what we set out to do,” said Lopez. “We did everything we could, and thank goodness it paid off [in Nevada]. … But I’m really, really disappointed [in other states].”
Despite the blow, Lopez remained with optimism towards the democratic process.
“There is not a whole lot you can do but to support the president and give him the respect that his office deserves,” said Lopez. “Hopefully he will not to be half as bad as he has shown.”
Less than two hours later, Trump had won the presidency.
