Just four quick days prior to the election, Clinton supporters and democratic campaign workers were feeling confident in the lead; however, they knew there was still work to be done. It was a relief for them that Democrats needed five seats in the Senate to have majority, and Wisconsin was supposed to be one of the easiest to win. Nora Ptacek, a Clinton campaign worker and Appleton North co-president for the Democratic League, was spending at least 20 hours a week campaigning. Nov. 8 she dedicated her whole night to the elections, only to come home to find that the stocks were dropping and the race was getting exceptionally close. As the night dragged on it was getting clear that Trump was going to be the 45th president of the United States.  

“The hard thing was seeing Wisconsin, and we all worked so, so hard, so hard.”

“Dems carried Wisconsin since “92.” When asked if she thinks the work she and other campaigners did was a waste. She whole-heartedly replied with no. She explained to us that there is a voting block that the Democrats need to focus on in the future and work towards connecting with their needs, but they did the best they could at this time period.

When asked what will become of Democrats these next four years, and how they should respond to this outcome, she responded with, “There are a lot of people who worked really hard on both sides. Clinton in her concession speech called out to young girls and women, and I think we all need to embrace her rhetoric to muslims, women, disabled, so all feel valued in this country, and I hope that we can build some bridges with the Republicans.”

Although the outlook wasn’t what the Democrats expected for president, Senate, and House of Representatives, Ptacek still tries to have a positive attitude. “Maybe he will be a better president than presidential candidate.”