Nov. 7, 2012
By Andrea Behling
Sophomore Cassandra Medved, a member of the UW-Whitewater College Democrats, was glued to her TV and her laptop taking in as much information as possible on the 2012 Presidential Election.
This was a nerve-racking day for Medved, who over the past few months has helped with correspondence, special events and community service to benefit President Barack Obama’s campaign.
“All the work you put in is leading up to one moment and it just can’t come fast enough,” Medved said. “There’s not really that much else you can do, you just have to sit there and wait.”
Around 10:15 p.m. Central Standard Time, Medved’s wait was over.
It was at that time when news organizations and polling sites began projecting Obama’s re-election after passing the 270 electoral mark. Millions of Americans like Medved tuned in, downloaded apps, checked feeds and connected on social media sites to get the latest news on the presidential race to the finish line.
Obama finished the race with 332 electoral votes to Gov. Mitt Romney’s 206, Florida being the last state to finalize the election after a 4-day vote count delay. According to The Huffington Post, Obama leads the popular vote 50.5 percent to Romney’s 48.0 percent.
“I was ridiculously happy when it happened,” Medved said. “Four more years of Obama is just going to be so much better for American people as a whole and for the human rights of everyone.”
In the battleground state fight, Obama took eight of the nine, missing North Carolina by 2.2 percent. Narrow wins for Obama in Wisconsin, Iowa, Ohio, Nevada, Colorado, New Hampshire, Virginia and Florida were deciding factors in the president’s re-election.
“We’re all in this together,” Obama tweeted shortly after hitting the 270-mark. “That’s how we campaigned, and that’s who we are. Thank you. -bo.”
In his victory speech, Obama said Mitt Romney and him have “battled fiercely, but it’s only because we love this country deeply.”
This year’s presidential election may top $2.5 billion dollars in total spending for both campaigns and outside supporters in what has made out to be the most expensive election ever, according to CNNMoney.
Toward the end of the final countdown, Romney congratulated the president on his re-election saying “the president will be successful in guiding our nation.”
Medved said Obama’s re-election has a personal meaning to her and her family members.
“I look forward to seeing the continuation of ‘Obamacare’ because my family has been effected by it personally,” Medved said. “My mom’s bills, meditation and prescriptions has gone from thousands of dollars to something she can actually afford, so I’m very excited about that.”
