Chants of “four more years!” echoed from the streets of Athens to the stage in Chicago after Barack Obama was re-elected president of the United States.
After months of campaigning, Obama defeated Republican challenger Mitt Romney both in the popular vote and the Electoral College as of press time, partly due to the 18 electoral votes he gained after winning Ohio by only 2 percentage points.
A Republican president has never won the election without winning Ohio.
“We have battled fiercely, but it’s only because we love this country deeply and care so strongly about its future,” Obama said Tuesday night.
The Associated Press reported that Obama won 303 electoral votes, while Romney won 206, as of press time. The popular vote was much closer, with Obama receiving 54,151,648 votes — about 50 percent — and Romney receiving 53,353,663 votes — about 49 percent — as of press time.
Southeast Ohio counties went to Romney, with Democratic stronghold Athens County being the island of blue in a sea of red.
Obama won 65.92 percent of Athens County’s votes, while 30.99 percent went to Romney, according to data from the Athens County Board of Elections.
Athens County and the nation will realize the benefits of President Obama’s re-election during the next four years, said Kathy Hecht, chair of the Athens County Democratic Party.
“We have a working-class population down here, and (Obama’s) policies are very helpful to us,” Hecht said. “To me, it’s a great day for Ohio and the country.”
Although Democrats swept Athens County elections, the presidential race was not as clear until Obama won Ohio.
Athens County Republican Party Chair Pete Couladis said he is disappointed with the results of the presidential election.
“I don’t know what people are thinking out there,” Couladis said. “Maybe they want more food stamps and stimulus checks, which obviously didn’t work.”
Although Romney said during his concession speech he was disappointed by the loss, he added the president’s campaign and Obama’s supporters deserve congratulations.
“This is a time of great challenges for America, and I pray that the president will be successful in guiding our nation,” Romney said.
In his acceptance speech, Obama thanked all Americans who participated in the election, adding that he looks forward to working with both Democrats and Republicans to move the country forward.
“We are an American family. We will rise together,” Obama said. “You, the American people, reminded us that while our road has been hard and the journey has been long, we have picked ourselves up and fought our way back, and we know in our hearts that for the United States of America, the best is yet to come.”
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