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Trump victory hailed by supporters in Lee

3 min read

Donald Trump may have shocked the world Tuesday night by winning the presidential election over Hillary Clinton.

But in a Republican bastion such as Lee County, support for Trump was expected as many celebrated his victory even as Clinton supporters were disappointed by the results.

Bob Davies, president of the Republican Club of Cape Coral, said supporters from Southwest Florida worked very hard to get people to the polls. Getting people whom the polls had neglected to get.

“I had a suspicion we would win because we were getting 100 people volunteering to go door-to-door on Saturdays. Four years ago with Mitt Romney we were lucky to get 20,” Davies said. “Many of those we got were Republicans who hadn’t voted in 10 years, as well as Democrats and independents.”

Davies said they were getting signals the same was happening throughout the country. It was a surprise to some degree, but also not much of a shock, either.

Cape Coral City Councilmember Rana Erbrick saw the night as a nail biter, but well worth any drama.

“I am pleased with the outcome as a lifetime Republican. Trump will bring some sanity back where there has been insanity,” Erbrick said. “He’s a savvy businessperson who surrounded himself with the right people, so I hope he carries that with him to the White House.”

Others were also pleased.

Resident Hank Daniels, with his Trump sticker on his car for all to see, said he was glad the Republican nominee won as there will be some much-needed change.

“Hopefully there will be a change in the county and they’ll be better than they were the past eight years,” Daniels said. “We were shocked. We stayed up until they called Pennsylvania for Trump at 3 a.m. We hope he sticks to his platform and does what he said he’s going to do.”

Tom Hedge voted for Trump even though he wasn’t as happy with Trump as he was with the rest of the Republicans.

“I was surprised he won. The Democrats offered something the country was fed up with, like the open-door policy. It’s not fair to people who have waited in line for 10 years,” Hedge said. “When Trump stuck to the script, he was presidential. Give the guy a chance. In four years, we can get rid of him.”

For Winnie Munro, Trump was simply the lesser of two evils and she was not sure if he will really come through on his promises.

“We just have to pray for our country,” Munro said.

Not everyone was happy.

Mayor Marni Sawicki said whatever happens, she hopes both sides can come together and become inclusive.

“We can’t look at what’s right for a certain group. We’re at a place where we really don’t know what direction we want to go,” Sawicki said. “I don’t know if we have one person who can unite us and I’m concerned about policy. I’m speechless.”

Wendy Blake, a 46-year resident of Cape Coral, was shocked by the result.

“I think that the public is disillusioned and disappointed in our politicians and the current system needs to be dismantled and I guess Donald Trump is the wrecking ball,” Blake said. “It’s scary because I think our place in the world and reputation is important, and the credibility of our leader is in question.”