This is a developing situation. Updated information will be published at the top of this article.
UKIAH, CA., 11/5/ 24 — It’s finally here, folks. Election night is upon us after a tumultuous campaign season full of twists and turns and chaotic surprises. The Mendocino Voice team is working to ensure you have local results as soon as they arrive.
Meanwhile, though, our intrepid reporter journeyed to two watch parties in Ukiah.
Inland Mendocino Democratic Club watch party at the Alex Rorabaugh Recreation Center
10:00 p.m. – At the Inland Democratic Club watch party at the Alex Rorabaugh Recreation Center in Ukiah, about 35 Democrat supporters gather around a spacious multipurpose room with several tables set up for wine, beer and food. An array of different kinds of pizzas sit on a table on one side of the room, and a few half-empty bottles of red and white wine perch on a table in another corner.
It’s a discouraging mood inside the recreation center, as attendees start leaving the watch party knowing that Vice President Kamala Harris is trailing former president Donald Trump. While some Harris supporters are hopeful, many remember the shock they felt in 2016 when candidate Hillary Clinton lost to Trump in the presidential election.
“We were overconfident expecting that Clinton would win, tonight we are not as overconfident as we were in 2016,” said Steve Scalmanini, the former mayor of Ukiah. “Five or six swing states have not been called.”
Although Harris supporters are trying to stay hopeful, the group is clearly on edge.
“We are on pins and needles here,” Scalmanini added. “We don’t know if the results will come in the next hour or two, or longer than that. This election is close, closer than I wish it would be.”
GOP watch party at the Mendocino County Republican Party offices
First up were the Republicans.
8:00 p.m. – At the GOP watch party on North State Street in Ukiah, a lean crowd of Republican Party supporters sit inside the small office to watch live updates of the national presidential election. Snacks and drinks are gathered on folding tables, along with a pot of homemade minestrone soup. A flat screen television sits in the corner of the room playing Fox News. Watch party attendees are ecstatic as they see former president Donald Trump piling up electoral votes from Missouri, Florida, Texas, and more.
Some are complaining about the shoddy internet connection, which impacts the group’s ability to watch the Wi-Fi-powered television setup. It’s a fairly DIY watch party, with just seven people gathered to cheer on Donald Trump.
“I’ve been called names, and I don’t really care,” said Mendocino County GOP Chair Deborah Hughes. “I’ve seen more disrespect from Democrats than I have Republicans. I’ve walked around with signs and had people spit at me.”
Hughes isn’t afraid to speak her mind on national politics. She’s been a supporter of former president Donald Trump for many years.
“I had been saying to people for decades that we needed someone who is a businessman to run this country,” Hughes said, recalling Trump’s victory in 2016. “I didn’t know much about Trump, but I knew that my dislike of Hillary outweighed everything else.”
Hughes said that if Trump wins, there’s a plethora of policies that she is eager to see if he becomes the next U.S. president.
“The illegitimate war in Ukraine is going to end, we will get rid of the deep state,” Hughes exclaimed. “If he gets rid of the IRS, I say whoopee.”
The GOP watch party ends at 10:00 p.m. tonight.