DeKALB | President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect Mike Pence were declared the winners in the battle for the White House.

The presidential candidates needed 270 electoral votes to win the election Tuesday. Trump won the presidency with 279 electoral votes to Secretary Hillary Clinton and running mate Tim Kaine’s 228.

“Now it’s time for America to bind the wounds of division,” Trump said during his victory speech Wednesday at the New York Hilton Midtown. “To all Republicans and Democrats and Independents across this nation, I say it is time for us to come together as one united people.”

The Republican president-elect was the victor in many battleground states including Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania. He was declared the winning candidate after Wisconsin, a swing state, awarded him ten electoral votes, sending him over the 270 threshold to win.

Political Science Professor Matthew Streb said it seemed the Republican party was divided during the campaigns, but exit polls showed there were more Democrats who voted for Trump than there were Republicans who voted for Clinton.

“What we found on Election Day was essentially what we always see on Election Day, and that was partisan voting,” Streb said.

The polls were in favor of Clinton 45 percent to Trump’s 41 percent just before Election Day, and Clinton had been dominating in the polls during the campaigns. Those poll results would explain Clinton’s lead over Trump in the popular vote 48 to 47 percent.

Clinton delivered her concession speech at the New York Hotel in New York City Wednesday morning.

“But I still believe in America, and I always will,” Clinton said during the speech. “And if you do, then we must accept this result and then look to the future. Donald Trump is going to be our president. We owe him an open mind and the chance to lead.”

US Senate

The U.S. Senate had 34 seats up for re-election. Republicans held 24 and Democrats held 10. With 100 seats in the U.S. Senate, a party must have at least 51 seats to hold the majority. The Republican party met that threshold exactly, securing their control of the U.S. Senate.

The U.S. Senate is controlled by the Republican party with 54 seats held. The Democratic party had to pick up five seats to gain the majority and take control of the senate. However, they were only able to gain two.

In Illinois, Democratic nominee Tammy Duckworth defeated Senator Mark Kirk, one of the only two incumbents to lose their seat by 54 to 40 percent of the vote.

Republican Senator Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire was the second, she lost to Democratic candidate Maggie Hassan from the Democratic Party.

House of Representatives

All 435 House of Representatives seats were up for re-election. To win the majority in the House of Representatives, parties needed to claim 218 seats. To flip the house from the Republicans control, Democrats had to pick up 30 seats.

However, Democrats were only able to pick up eight. The Republican party exceeded the 218 threshold with 239, maintaining the majority and their control. The Democrats clinched 192.

NIU is located in Illinois’s 16th congressional district, where Republican U.S. Representative Adam Kinzinger was re-elected as the only candidate.

Students React

The Black Student Union hosted an event in response to the election and facilitated a self-care-focused discussion to combat negative responses 5 p.m. Wednesday in Neptune Residence Hall Central.

About 75 students came to the event, where they gathered in a circle and took turns reacting to Trump’s victory, sharing fears about his presidency, searching for hope, encouraging one another and shedding tears.

“We just want ya’ll to know that you are loved whether you are black, whether you are a white ally, whether you are Latino,” said Traci Jennings, Black Student Union president. “Wherever you fall on the spectrum, if you have any hopelessness, if you have any fear in your heart, this is for you. That’s why we called this.”