Chuck Kennedy / McClatchy Tribune

Fresno Democrats waited in anticipation Tuesday night to see which states on the big screen would turn blue or red.

Many turned blue.

At the local Democratic gathering, held at the Holiday Inn in downtown Fresno, red, white and blue balloons adorned the room. Barack Obama̢۪s supporters began celebrating around 8 p.m. when both CNN and Fox News called the election for the Democratic senator from Illinois.

An older woman said: “Never in my life did I think this would happen.â€Â

With Obama̢۪s victory, America will have its first African-American president. According to CNN.com at 10:15 p.m., Obama claimed 338 electoral votes while his opponent, John McCain, came away with 156.

While Obama took a majority of electoral votes, the popular vote remained close, according to CNN.com. Obama received 52 percent of the popular vote while McCain received 47 percent.

The vote was also close in Fresno County. At 10:15 p.m., McCain had received 49.3 percent of the vote while Obama trailed close behind with 48.84 percent.

Bryan Cole / The Collegian

Obama said in his acceptance speech that the victory was a long time coming.

“Tonight, because of what we did on this day, in this election, on this defining moment, change is coming to America,â€Â Obama said.

Local supporters at the Fresno gathering recognized the historic significance of the election.

Erin Williams, a local Obama supporter who works as a child-care provider, said she has supported Obama since the beginning of his campaign. “I brought my daughter here so she could understand its importance.â€Â

Williams lives near Friant and Fort Washington, where many of her neighbors are conservative.

“I had three of my signs stolen from my yard,â€Â Williams said. “I finally got seven feet of plywood, wrote Obama ’08, and said, ‘take that!’ â€Â

Democrats celebrate

Williams̢۪ friend, Lillie Bryant, said she voted for President Bush for both of his terms, but said she could not support McCain after he said he supported Bush.

“There was no way that I could vote for another Bush,â€Â Bryant said.

Once Obama was declared next elected president, people yelled Obama̢۪s name and clapped in excitement. Some even cried.

“This is just amazing,â€Â Bryant said.

Gary Alford, a member of the Fresno County Democratic Central Committee (FCDCC), organized the event, along with other committee members.

Ryan Tubongbanua / The Collegian

“I have been a lifelong Democrat,â€Â Alford said. “It doesn’t make a difference to be your race, gender, or religion, as long as you have that ‘D’ behind your name.â€Â

Alford said that the election was turning out exactly how he expected. His girlfriend, Brenda Emerson, agreed.

“This is great,â€Â Emerson said. “Actually, even better than I thought it would be.â€Â

Republicans dejected

While local Democrats celebrated downtown, about 30 local Republicans gathered at the Standard, a restaurant in North Fresno.

The general feeling was surprise. They weren̢۪t surprised that Obama won; many people at the gathering said they knew that was probably going to happen. But they were surprised that the race ended so quickly, and that McCain didn̢۪t put up a bigger fight.

Clarke Plunkett, a 21-year-old sophomore at Fresno City College, said he has been with the McCain campaign since June. He said he saw McCain speak at Fresno State and decided to get involved.

Plunkett, a business major with a minor in political science, said he is OK with the loss because he is still satisfied with the work he helped accomplish locally. Part of this work included going to local colleges and encouraging students to vote.

Ryan Tubongbanua / The Collegian

“I thought it would be closer,â€Â Plunkett said. “But it was definitely a historic election either way.â€Â
He also said that Obama̢۪s victory was not discouraging.

“McCain represents more of my personal views,â€Â Plunkett said. “But I’m still going to support Barack Obama as my president.â€Â

Mark De Los Santos, 26, was an intern for the McCain campaign. He started interning after his uncle, Joe De Los Santos, the chairman of the Hispanic Republican Committee in Fresno, encouraged him.

De Los Santos, who graduated from Fresno State in May, said “I knew Obama was gonna win, but I was hoping McCain would win some more battleground states.â€Â

De Los Santos also commented on how Obama held influence over the diverse state of California.

“Obama knows how to connect and speak well with the lower class,â€Â De Los Santos said. “He has a lot of social programs, but I don’t think he’ll be able to deliver. He won’t have the money, even after our tax money is gone.â€Â

The candidates speak

Shortly after Obama was declared the winner, McCain gave his concession speech in Phoenix.

Quieting supporters who chanted, “We’re not done!â€Â McCain said he had called Obama to concede. He encouraged his supporters to move past their disappointment and join him in congratulating Obama.

With running mate Sarah Palin by his side, McCain said: “Whatever our differences, we are all Americans.â€Â

Obama later gave his acceptance speech in Chicago.

“If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer,â€Â Obama told his supporters.

Additional reporting by Adam Criswell, Paige Ricks, and Jakob Smith