Spirits are still high in Raleigh even though Elaine Marshall, the Democratic challenger for U.S Senate, fell short in the polls. Shortly after giving her concession speech, Marshall made her way through the room and hugged family members, supporters and fellow candidates.
There was a sense of disappointment among audience members during Marshall’s speech.
“I’ve seen a lot of people just misinformed voting this year,” David Burton Smith, said a Marshall supporter from Sanford, N.C. “I’m not surprised that someone as decorated and smart as Elaine doesn’t win because it’s not about how smart you are and what you know, it’s about can you get the masses to vote for you, he said.”
People at the Brownstone Hotel quickly regained confidence as Brad Miller took to the podium to announce his victory over Bill Randall in the race for the U.S. House of Representatives.
“I assume this has been a tough year for a lot of people who I admire greatly,” Miller said. “People who love their country and work hard for their country; who have done the right thing and are now seeing their political careers end.”
“We really have changed, Americans voted for change and there has been change,” Miller said.
Shortly after Miller spoke his fellow Democrat U.S. Rep David Price stood up to announce his victory over Republican challenger B.J. Lawson in the fourth congressional district of N.C.
Montica Talmadge, the national committee woman for the Young Democrats of N.C., said she hopes Miller and Price will be able to work together with Republicans once they take office.
“I’m proud of both of our congressmen,” Talmadge said. “I’m proud of our entire congressional delegation, especially our Democratic delegation because they are representative of the people of the state of North Carolina.”
Talmadge said Democrats, who are upset over Marshall’s loss, should not be disappointed.
“You win some, which we did in 2008, we won very big in 2008 and the odds of us losing, or losing traction in 2010 were very good,” Talmadge said.
One woman was particularly happy with Price’s win.
“I’m very excited about David Price winning,” Lloydine Foreman from Durham said. “I went out and campaigned this afternoon for five hours in the cold, so I’m very excited about his win tonight,” she said.
David Donovan, a UNC alumnus, lost his race for N.C. Senate in District 17 but said he’s still hopeful about the rest of election night. Donovan said he ran to make sure there was a Democrat on the ballot in every race and he wasn’t surprised by the results of his race because the area is primarily Republican.
Donovan said he really enjoyed the experience and while he will not run again in the next election cycle, he is not opposed to the idea of running in future elections.
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