By Caleigh Bartash

Relief, happiness, excitement, optimism, apprehension, disappointment. All are some of the emotions that students at the University of Maryland said they felt when they found out that Democrat Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential race Saturday.

Former Vice President Biden clinched a victory over President Donald Trump following his win in Pennsylvania. The announcements came four days after an unconventional Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 3 passed with no official winner. According to an election map, Biden won Prince George’s County, Maryland, by nearly 90%. 

Christopher Messer, the UMD College Democrats’ community relations director, was in Philadelphia when Pennsylvania was called for the president-elect. He said there were hundreds of people in the streets celebrating, kissing and popping champagne bottles.  

Messer, a senior public policy major, quoted President Gerald R. Ford, saying “our long national nightmare is over.” Messer said the most important issue on the ballot was democracy.

“I’m most excited about the fact that the United States will no longer be the laughingstock of the world’s democracies, that we will gain a little bit more respect just by the fact that we kicked Donald Trump out of office,” he said.

Meanwhile, the UMD College Republicans Executive Board released a statement on Instagram congratulating Biden for his successful campaign, but wrote that the election “is not over.” 

The Democratic majority in the House is expected to drop by at least six seats, while the Senate majority depends on two Georgia runoffs taking place in January.

Democratic candidates lost Senate races by wide margins in Montana, South Carolina and Iowa, though polling had suggested those races could be toss-ups. Republicans also claimed victories in Maine and North Carolina, where polls had shown incumbents trailing their Democratic challengers.

Bryanna Nketia, a senior public health science major, said she was not happy with the options on the ballot, but she was looking forward to less inflammatory headlines from a future President Biden.

“I definitely think there will be pushback from people that are in opposition, but I feel like there will be a more serious approach to the pandemic and I won’t wake up and read as many things that are like ‘oh it’s okay to inject bleach into your veins to get rid of COVID,’” she said.

James Ernst, a sophomore computer science student, said he was disappointed with the results of the election. He said he thinks Trump still has a narrow shot at reversing Biden’s success.

“I hope that everything gets sorted out in the court. And after a proper recount is done, if Biden’s still on the top, then he wins, but I don’t think that Trump should concede before a proper recount is done,” said Ernst, vice president of UMD Young Americans for Freedom.

Rather than concede, Trump continues to launch legal efforts in swing states and tweeted on Saturday that he “won the election.”

Messer said that Trump’s refusal to give a concession speech sends a bad message.

“It shows a lack of respect for the democratic will of the American people,” he said.

As Trump files legal challenges across the country, some students are turning their attention toward the Georgia runoffs. Shika Inala, a junior neurobiology and physiology major, said she was energized by Biden’s win but worried that a possible Republican majority would inhibit his effectiveness.

“I’m hoping that doesn’t put a damper in how much change we could have, but unfortunately I guess it might,” she said.

Nketia said she was worried about the transition period and that Trump’s legal actions will only make the transfer of power more difficult.

“I feel like now is when the tensions get high and Trump hasn’t even conceded yet, which I feel like is kind of indicative of the attitudes of people that did vote for him or are supporting him and that there’s a lot of denial about what the projected results are,” she said.

After watching Biden’s victory speech, Messer had just one misgiving.

“I’m glad that he took the responsible route and said he’s going to try to unify America. Even though he’s a Democrat, he’s the president of all Americans, not just those who voted for him,” he said. “I am disappointed, though, that he did not say the phrase ‘Donald Trump, you’re fired.’”