The Nevada Sagebrush

Democratic Sen. Barack Obama accepted the presidency of the United States of America Tuesday night, bringing tears of joy to some University of Nevada, Reno students and disappointment to others.

“I’m happy, relieved and exulted,”said Marysa Falk, a 20-year-old journalism major and 16-month Obama worker. “I’m very, very happy for this country. I’m looking forward to Jan. 20th. I am going to sleep very well tonight. I’m very proud and happy for this country. Things are going to change.”

Obama won the presidency with 334 electoral votes, five of which came from Nevada. He took 57 percent of the vote in the state and two-thirds of the youth vote, according to CNN exit polls. Washoe County turned blue, along with Carson City. Keeping with trends, Clark County came out for Obama.

Garrett Barmore, a 19-year-old UNR sophomore, said he didn’t originally support Obama. He first wanted to vote for Sen. Hillary Clinton, but when left to decide between McCain and Obama he supported Obama because he liked his economic policies better.

“I have reservations,” Barmore said at the Democratic Watch Party. “I think he’s going to try hard, but I don’t think he can do it in four years. It’s a lot of radical change. I hope he can actually do what he says he can do.”

Barmore said he was happy with the results, despite some doubts.

“As a McCain supporter, I’m disappointed,”Jenna Gomes, a 22-year-old environmental science major, said at the Republican watch party. “But I’ve had this feeling that Obama would win for a while now,”

Gomes was at the Republican watch party in the El Dorado with the College Republicans.

At the Republican watch party, the crowed seemed subdued even as their candidate conceded to Obama. Some said Sen. John McCain gave up too soon and one man muttered “traitor”before leaving the hotel.

“It is natural tonight to feel some disappointment,”McCain said in his concession speech. “But tomorrow we must move beyond it and get our country moving again.”

The crowd in Phoenix, like the one in Reno, booed when McCain bowed out of the race at about 8 p.m.

In the local races, former Democratic gubernatorial candidate Dina Titus holds a six-percent lead over Republican Rep. Jon Porter. Republican Rep. Dean Heller is holding a tighter lead on his incumbency with about 7 percent more of the vote than Democratic challenger Jill Derby.

The Nevada Democrats also appear to be making a two-seat gain in both the state assembly and state senate.

For the Nevada System of Higher Education’s Board of Regents races, incumbent and former board chairman Brett Whipple is behind in the polls with only 46 percent of the vote.

William Cobb is leading his non-participatory opponent by 60 percent. Jason Geddes is also fending of his challenger, Rajan Zed, by a similar margin.

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