CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WVIR) – For weeks, Americans were told the presidential election was too tight to predict, and it would be days before a winner could be declared. But, less than twelve hours after polls closed, a winner was called.
UVA Center for Politics’ Larry Sabato is among those disappointed in how the polls failed.
“They were wrong. They’re going to have to go back to the drawing boards again,” Sabato said. “Every two years, they’ve told us that they’ve evolved, and they’ve changed some things, and they’re closer to reality than they ever were before, and it’s not working.”
Although Sabato’s Crystal Ball which predicted a Harris victory was foggy this time, he said Democrats will move forward, taking advantage of a potentially Republican-controlled executive and legislature.
“The Republicans will own everything. That’s how Democrats can proceed. Anything that happens that the public doesn’t like, the Democrats can legitimately blame the Republicans, because they’ve got the White House, they’ve got the Senate, they’ve got the House of Representatives, they’ve got the Supreme Court,” Sabato said.
A Harris loss was the only likely path toward a peaceful transition of power, Sabato said.
“Had he lost, we would have had something, probably another insurrection, but certainly a lot of problems in the state legislatures and at the time the electoral college met, there was only one way for us to move forward in a peaceful manner, and that was for Trump to win,” Sabato said.
Vice President Kamala Harris addressed a crowd gathered at Howard University on Wednesday afternoon.
“The outcome of this election is not what we wanted. We must accept the results of this election,” Harris said in her concession speech. “We will engage in a peaceful transfer of power.”
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