Tracy F. Seelye
Express Staff
Voters in Halifax and Plympton showed their support for a change, joining the rest of the country in voicing their displeasure at the status quo. Halifax brought 78.6% of its electorate to the polls, and Plympton saw 83.9% of its voters cast their ballots.
A victorious Donald J. Trump addressed his supporters and the country about 3 a.m. on Wednesday, pledging his presidency would work to unify a deeply divided country. Following a night that surprised and shocked political pundits left and right, Trump was gracious in his remarks and praised Secretary Clinton for her “courageous and hard fought campaign” and her years of public service to the country.
“We owe her a major debt of gratitude for her service to our country,” Trump said. “Now is the time for America to bind the wounds of division – we have to get together … It is time for us to come together as one united people.”
“I pledge to every citizen of our land that I will be president for all Americans,” Trump said, reaching out to those who opposed him in an effort to “work together and unify our great country.”
Clinton had called Trump to concede and “congratulated us it’s about us” on the win. She had earlier sent her supporters home as several states were still too close to call, only to see them quickly shift toward Trump.
Clinton gave her concession speech to the country Wednesday morning, and also spoke to the need for unity in the wake of the election.
“I hope that he will be a successful president for all Americans,” she told supporters and staff. “This is painful and it will be for a long time … but our campaign was never about one person or even one election. It was about the country we love.”
State Representative Geoffrey Diehl, (R-Whitman), state co-chairman for the Trump campaign had predicted the win Tuesday afternoon, insisting that polls favoring a Clinton win were in error.
“I’m extremely pleased with the election of Donald Trump,” he said. “Being the first Massachusetts elected official to endorse him, I recognized that he will take on the establishment in D.C. to make government work for us, not against us.”
Diehl, who ran unopposed, will return to his seat in the 6th Congressional District and pledged, “I will continue to work to make a positive difference for our families each and every day.”
Representative Tomas J. Calter III, D-Kingston, was returned to his seat in the state legislature, as voters in Plympton and Halifax re-elected him to the 12th Plymouth District with 3238 to challenger Peter Boncek’s 1921, giving him a 602 vote majority in those two towns. Calter also represents Kingston, and a precinct in Duxbury.
Plympton and Halifax also followed the trends throughout the Commonwealth in the four questions on the ballot:
Question 1, asking for an additional license for a slots parlor, was turned down by both towns. Question 2, the hotly contested Charter Schools question was resoundingly defeated, despite the heavy advertising on both sides. Question 3, which asked that farm animals be treated humanely, was overwhelmingly supported, and Question 4, asking if marijuana use should be allowed for those over the age of 21, passed.
Halifax voters said “No” to Question 5, specific to Halifax, asking voters to exempt Halifax from Proposition 2 ½ restrictions for the future bond issue to renovate the Council on Aging Center at Pope’s Tavern.