For president, Florida voters chose Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nominee and Donald Trump for the Republican.
And as UF students gathered to watch the primaries, Gainesville locals chanted mayoral candidate Lauren Poe’s name as he gave an acceptance speech Tuesday night.
At about 9 p.m., Poe beat Gainesville Mayor Ed Braddy for the mayoral seat. Adrian Hayes-Santos defeated Jim Konish for the City of Gainesville District 4 Commission seat.
Poe, surrounded by about 60 supporters, said he expected the race to be closer.
“I didn’t run against Ed Braddy, I ran for Gainesville,” the 45-year-old said.
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Benjamin Revard, a UF doctoral materials science and engineering student, said he didn’t vote in the last presidential election.
On Tuesday, he cast his ballot at the Reitz Union.
“I felt like my vote didn’t matter, so I just didn’t vote,” the 26-year-old said.
Rutha Kariuki, 29, teaches her students at Eastside High School the importance of voting.
“People have fought and died for you to be able to vote,” she said.
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Supporters drank around a TV at Poe’s watch party at First Magnitude Brewing Company, later cheering when he arrived at about 8 p.m.
About 15 minutes later, he smiled as he took photos with volunteers and interns, thanking them for their help.
“The work starts tomorrow,” Poe said.
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Braddy’s supporters spent the day outside polling locations.
Tuesday night, he and about 35 supporters met at The Warehouse Restaurant and Lounge after the polls closed.
Though Braddy said he is disappointed he lost, he still thanked voters.
“I think the record shows that Gainesville is a better place than it was three years ago,” he said.
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“I’m excited to be the next city commissioner,” Hayes-Santos said, waiting for the final results.
Before entering The Bank Bar & Lounge for his watch party, Hayes-Santos said he spent the day visiting precincts.
In the 30 minutes after polls closed, the room hummed with conversations and clinking glasses as Hayes-Santos greeted supporters.
But first, a day of rest.
His victory resulted from his issue-driven campaign, but Tuesday’s high voter turnout was a surprise, Hayes-Santos said.
“It’s exciting to see so many people getting involved in democracy,” he said.
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Jim Konish held his watch party with Braddy.
The District 4 Commission candidate said he placed signs near polling stations in Gainesville on Tuesday morning.
Konish said he also met his legal team to discuss his lawsuit against Hayes-Santos’ residency in District 4.
“I’m going to lose the vote, but there will be a court case, so we will see what the judge decides,” he said.
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Gators for Hillary and campaign volunteers ate dinner in the glow of large TVs at Gator’s Dockside.
When Clinton was announced the winner, attendees chanted her name.
Caroline Stonecipher, the Gators for Hillary president, said Hillary has championed women’s rights.
“She was a warrior when it wasn’t acceptable,” the 22-year-old UF psychology senior said.
Supporters of Bernie Sanders gathered at the High Dive.
Noorul “Fractal” Hassan, a supporter of Sanders and Marxist communism, said some of Sanders echoes some of her beliefs, even though he isn’t a communist.
“He’s not left enough for me,” the 18-year-old UF mathematics freshman said.
