JERSEY SHORE – Everyone knew that no matter who won, Donald J. Trump or Kamala Harris, the results of this presidential election would be historic.
Trump emerged victorious in what was a close race but he won the popular vote and was the first president to be re-elected in a non-continuous term since Democrat Grover Cleveland. He was the 22nd 1885-1889 and 24th 1893-1897 president. Trump will be the 45th and 47th.
Ocean County voters provided some strong backing of the 45th president. He emerged from a very improbable comeback after leaving office in 2021 after failing to overturn the 2020 election results that he claimed he lost due to voter fraud. He later became the first former president to be charged with either state or federal crimes, with four separate indictments, one of which resulted in conviction.
Trump noted that he overcame “obstacles that nobody ever thought we could.” He has promised that this will “truly be the golden age of America.”
The former president won the crucial battleground states of North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin – surpassing the electoral vote threshold of 270 by six votes receiving a total of 276. Votes were still being counted in the other battleground states of Michigan, Nevada and Arizona when news organizations called the victory. Harris has called to concede.
During his two-year campaign, Trump criticized President Joe Biden, and later Harris, on inflation and the economy along with immigration policies. It is believed that those two subjects resonated with voters, who feel that the economy is much worse than it was in 2020.
While it was the pandemic that brought the economy to a standstill during Trump’s last year in office, he continually posed the question of whether voters were better off now than they were four years ago and voters gave him his answer.
It was a campaign that saw some unusual events including the Democratic contender dropping out of the race with the vice president stepping up as the presidential candidate. Trump experienced a bullet grazing at a rally in Pennsylvania and another assassination attempt prevented when a shooter was intercepted. There were a variety of rallies and celebrity endorsements.
Micromedia Publications/Jersey Shore Online.com reached out to some of Ocean County’s noted Republican Trump supporters after the election was over.
Ocean County Republican Chairman George Gilmore responded saying, “on Tuesday, almost 220,000 registered votes cast their vote for Donald Trump for President giving him 67% of the vote. This is a reaction against the past four years of failed policies that have hurt the people of Ocean County as well as the nation.”
“There was a strong groundswell of support for Trump that was undeniable. The signs, the flags and the phone calls to headquarters volunteering to work to elect Trump was overwhelming,” Gilmore added.
“Inflation, gas prices, proposals to ban natural gas appliances, the push for offshore wind farms and allowing boys/men in girls/women’s sports, locker rooms and bathrooms caused the silent majority to rise up in protest,” the chairman added. He added that he was “proud of the support that Ocean County has given President Trump.”
Jackson GOP President Mordechai Burnstein had attended the Republican National Conference over the summer and told this newspaper “I am super excited to have played a part in supporting Donald Trump who I have supported since 2016. He is super pro-America and super pro global rights.”
“We had a historic voter numbers come out yesterday,” Burnstein said. Burnstein won a full four-year term as councilman on election day. He had been appointed to fill an unexpired term of a council member who resigned last year. He was excited about that “and the phenomenal county support that Donald Trump received. It was a huge support.”
He also noted that in one of his children’s schools “they held a mock election that had Trump win with 97%.”
Manchester Republican President Frank Nicolato said, “President Trump’s decisive victory reinforces our faith in the American people, and our electoral process. Despite nine years of personal attacks and persecution by politically motivated prosecutors, corrupt law enforcement officials, deceitful Washington politicians, biased media outlets, and even foreign intelligence operatives Donald Trump managed to serve the best interests of the nation, and the American people in his first term.”
“The last four years have proven again, that a weak President and an unqualified, incompetent vice president is a seriously dangerous combination which produces no beneficial results for the American people. His question to us of “are you better off now than you were four years ago?” was answered with a resounding “No!” by more than 71 million voters. “We’re honored to have supported President Trump and our entire Republican slate,” he added.
Nicolato said “we look forward to a new Administration in 2025 which is responsive to all Americans, rather than one which ignores American families and individuals, in favor of criminals and illegal immigrants.
Plumsted residents had many signs calling the community “Trump Country.” Mayor Dominick Cuozzo attended a rally for Trump last spring in Wildwood. He said, “I am thrilled by Donald Trump’s victory, which I believe is a victory for all Americans. It represents the triumph of:
• Free speech over censorship,
• Borders over invasions,
• Peace through strength over warmongering,
• Freedom over mandates,
• Affordability over inflation,
• Faith in God over government control,
• Common sense over cronyism,
• Exceptionalism over elitism,
• Nationalism over globalism.
“This victory brings renewed hope and vision for our nation. I am proud to stand alongside the many in our town who have expressed strong support for President Trump,” Cuozzo added. “I remain committed to representing the interests of all our residents. The America First movement will build on this momentum, strengthening our shared values as we continue working to make our town a place we are proud to call home.”
