PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — Locally, supporters of President-elect Donald Trump are rejoicing over the election results. On the flip side, supporters of Vice President Kamala Harris are disheartened.
For days, lines of voters cast their ballots sharing important issues close to them from abortion rights to the economy. Whether those issues fare better or worse depends on who you ask.
For Chris Barnes of South Tampa, a cup of joe tasted sweeter at Conservative Grounds coffee shop in Largo with Trump back in the White House for a second term.
"I was pretty optimistic. I even called it," Barnes said. "I smelled freedom this morning."
Barnes said the year President Joe Biden won in 2020 scarred a lot of people who voted Republican. Those fears diminished when Trump secured enough votes early Wednesday.
The results brought Ann Peterson of Clearwater to tears.
"Thank God. He's finally back in," Peterson said.
Supporters believe issues close to them from the economy to border security will improve under the Trump administration. Much of Trump's campaign appears to be fueled by voters' negative views on the economy and inflation, along with dissatisfaction with the current state of the country.
Vice President Harris conceded on a hopeful note. It translated well for Victor DiMaio, president of the Hillsborough County Hispanic Democratic Caucus.
"If you live in a democracy, unlike some other people, you accept the loss and you go on to play for another day," DiMaio said.
But with only a day after Election Night, many Democrats were still processing the loss citing concerns over Trump's campaign promises including enlisting the military to carry out mass deportations and impose tariffs on all U.S. imports.
However, DiMaio said he's hopeful of a blue rebound similar to the year 2018. In addition, he doesn't consider the election a "resounding victory" seeing how much Republicans turned out for Democrat-leaning issues.
For instance, the majority of Floridians voted in favor of passing Amendments 3 and 4, which would've eliminated Florida's 6-week ban on abortions with some exceptions, and legalized recreational marijuana.
For now, Democrats said they're closely watching the impact of Trump's inauguration just two months away.
"We were hoping for something better to happen," said Gary Crocker of St. Pete.
The transition of power process is already beginning. Trump campaign leaders said they're holding transition meetings immediately.