An election night for the ages

It was a night to remember. We went into Tuesday evening with the constant reminder that the presidential race would be among the tightest in recent history, and we were told to brace ourselves for days—if not weeks—of uncertainty about who would next occupy the Oval Office. In the end, it wasn’t even close. Not by a long shot.

Former President Donald J. Trump has won a stunningly huge victory over Vice President Kamala Harris. Fox News called the race just before 2 a.m. after Trump won state after state and—against all predictions—piling up a sizeable victory in the nationwide popular vote. The election map turned red as a Trump tide moved across the landscape. By early morning, it was clear that he would have more than the 270 electoral votes needed to secure a second term in office.

The former president also ran and won with significant coattails. The 47th president of the United States will be supported by a Republican majority in the Senate, and GOP control of the House was not out of reach as Trump, introduced as president-elect, addressed supporters in West Palm Beach, Fla., at around 2:30 this morning. The crowd was massive and excited. The race had been excruciatingly long and arduous. Family members and prominent supporters who gathered with him on the stage for his victory speech were over the top in enthusiasm.

How did it happen? As I had warned, polls are not only instruments of political measurement—they are also weapons of political warfare. The mainstream media culture leaned big into claims that the race was close and that the Democratic nominee’s campaign had captured the momentum. Maybe they believed it to be true. In any event, it wasn’t.

Kamala Harris was anointed the Democratic Party’s nominee after President Joe Biden was forced from the race and pushed into an imminent retirement. She had not won a single delegate in a contested primary. Harris is from the left wing of her party and had run on very liberal positions in 2019 when she made a bid for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. That run was a big failure, but Biden chose her as his running mate, and once he was walked off the stage, the Democratic Party was faced with a hard reality. It could not nominate anyone other than Harris, given the party’s commitment to identity politics. In the end, she showed political talents few thought she possessed, but it was not enough. Her progressivism in the past and her refusal to be clear in the present helped doom her candidacy. The autopsy on her campaign will consume her party’s energies for some time.

There were other issues on the line and other offices on the ballot. The pro-life movement had big wins in Florida and South Dakota, but tragic losses elsewhere. As the morning dawned, control of the House of Representatives was not yet clear and a host of other questions remained to be answered.

But not the question about the White House. That was answered with millions of votes and the blessing of early clarity. So what now?

The president-elect’s victory speech to his supporters was gracious and positive. Trump called for Americans to “put the divisions of the past behind us,” and he presented a warm and inviting vision of America’s future. He spoke of God saving his life when a shooter tried to assassinate him—and came so very close to doing so. In the course of his campaign, Trump has often spoken in far darker terms and with far less graciousness. The American people have given him the rarest of gifts: a second presidency. Only President Grover Cleveland can claim the same. So much now rests on Trump’s shoulders.

The right response of the American people is to prepare for a new president and to work together to address the great challenges we face. Political divisions remain, and big struggles lay ahead. We had better enjoy the moments of graciousness and unity when we can find them. We need Donald Trump to live up to the spirit of his words presented this morning. He has an opportunity to change history. He was elected with great hopes and expectations and giant challenges. He has often proved to be his own worst enemy. We need Donald Trump to be as strong as he sees himself to be and to be a statesman equal to these demanding times.

As Christians, our task is now to pray for President-elect Trump and for our nation. We know that much before we know anything else. The American electoral system worked and produced a clear winner. Wow … what a night. History was made right before our eyes. Americans alive today will remember this election night for the remainder of their days. It was a night for the ages.