Lynbrook, East Rockaway residents, officials react to 2020 presidential election

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As of Thursday, the results of the presidential election had nearly all been tallied, and Lynbrook and East Rockaway residents were expressing mixed opinions on the election of Joe Biden as the nation’s 46th president.

As of Tuesday, Biden had over 76 million votes — more than any other presidential candidate in history — besting President Donald Trump’s 71 million-plus votes, the second-most in history.

Only two states remained to be decided, Georgia and North Carolina, according to the Associated Press. A win for either candidate in either state, however, would not affect the outcome of the election.

Biden had 290 electoral votes secured, the AP was reporting. If he were to win Georgia — an increasingly likely outcome — he would end up with 306 electoral votes, 36 more than he needed  to win the presidency.

Local residents offered differing views on the election on social media — but all of those who responded to a Herald inquiry on Facebook said they were pleased with Biden’s victory. Lynbrook resident Joey O’Connor was among them.

“I’m extremely excited to once again have a president who models respect, kindness and character for children and young people,” O’Connor wrote. “It is well past time we have a leader who does not traffic in racist slurs like ‘Kung Flu virus,’ grab women by their genitals and mock disabled reporters.”

In an email to the Herald, a resident who preferred to be called Patrick M. wrote that he was also a Biden supporter and happy to see a new president-elect.

“I can’t describe the feeling of joy and relief I experienced on Wednesday evening watching the polls get closer and closer before they finally flipped,” Marlowe wrote. “. . . It was a very tight race, but in the end, Biden won, integrity won, the truth won.”

Calls to Republican politicos had not been returned at press time. Elected officials and local political groups also released statements reacting to the election.

U.S. Rep. Kathleen Rice, who last week defeated challenger Douglas Tuman to earn re-election in New York’s 4th Congressional District, congratulated Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris on Twitter. Rice said the results of the election filled her with hope, tweeting, “The Biden-Harris administration will lead with dignity and help bring our nation back together.”

Rice then released a statement congratulating Biden and Harris, and said she was hopeful the country could be united again.

“This was a historic election,” the statement read. “Joe Biden received more votes than anyone running for president in our nation’s history. And for the first time, a woman will be the vice president of the United States — sending a clear message to little girls in every corner of this country that they too can be anything they want to be.”

The Nassau County Democratic Committee released a statement on Facebook, in which it expressed its satisfaction about the party’s victory, while the Republican Committee had yet to release an official statement at press time.

“Today isn’t about Democrats or Republicans; it’s about Americans coming together to unite our country,” the Democrats’ statement read. “We campaigned and voted for Joe Biden, not because he was the Democratic candidate, but because he is the only candidate who can unite our country after four years of hatred and division.”

 

Scott Brinton contributed to this story.