Election 2008

This post was written by Hatchet reporter Jenny Avallon

Yet another Obama celebration broke out in Kogan Plaza Wednesday afternoon as nearly 20 students assembled to chant, clap, and rejoice in the previous night’s historic announcement.

“We saw America come together and transcend racism. We saw America come together and transcend classism. We saw America come together and say ‘YES,’” shouted junior Jordan Chisolm, president of the Black Student Union, to an enthused crowd.

Many students were still reliving the previous night, an evening which won’t soon be forgotten by these supporters.

“My initial reaction…I honestly don’t have words for it. I felt so blessed,” said junior Jonathan Blakely.

But today, in Kogan, these students joy had yet to subside. Many were adorned in Obama apparel and, though their throats were growing sore, they cheered proudly to passersby. Within all the celebrations, there was an underlying theme of gratitude to the history which had made this election possible.

“This weekend you celebrate, but never forget all the work that was done to get you here today,” said Chisolm as the crowd began to disperse.

The success of the Obama administration is still to be seen, but these students have faith in their candidate of choice.

To the critics who believe these celebrations are too soon, Blakely says, “They’re just party poopers.”

Multimedia Editor Ryder Haske shot this video of the celebrations last night.

Updated Nov. 6 Here’s a second cut with new footage:

The post was written by Hatchet Reporter Amy Rhodin

TYSONS CORNER, Va. – Mark Warner, former Virginia governor and a GW graduate, slid into victory for a Virginia Senate seat Tuesday night by a reported 64 percent of the vote.

“I am proud to stand in front of you as a new United States Senator,” Warner said to more than 700 supporters at a campaign celebration attended in the McClean Tysons Corner Hilton Hotel. The event was attended by top Virginia politicians and Warner supporters.

In his acceptance speech, Warner, who defeated Republican opponent Jim Gilmore, pinpointed energy, the economy, and bipartisanship in Washington as being the foundations for his administration.

Read more…

This post was written by Hatchet Reporters Lindsay Life and Raffi Salbashian.

When Barack Obama was announced as the country’s first black president, D.C.’s historically black neighborhood of U Street erupted in an emotional and dramatic celebration.

A crowd of nearly a thousand people clogged the street, crying, hugging, screaming and chanting. “I’m crying because I’m so happy, something huge happened,” said Paige Robinson, one of the many black women amid the street rally. “We all want to ignore the reality of it, but today we proved that we are all humans.”

A man dressed as Uncle Sam, shirtless bike riders draped in American flags, young people dancing on top of a bus stop – all of them gathered to celebrate the historic moment.

What started out as a single street performer and his drum near the corner of 14th and U streets turned into a spontaneous musical celebration, bringing hundreds of D.C. locals and visitors together chanting in unison, “Yes we can.”

“Everyone is gathered on U and 14th to celebrate. This is every ethnicity of D.C.,” said Dana Silva of the rapidly expanding celebration.

Virginia resident Becky Zhou, who is Asian, said this election will “make a difference for every common person. He is black, (Asians) now have a voice too, it is a strong message for all minorities.”

This post was written by Hatchet reporter Shannon O’Reilly.

Junior John “Jack” Coleman lost the race for Advisory Neighborhood Commission 2A06 commissioner to opponent Florence Harmon. Harmon received 112 votes and Coleman won 16 write-in votes.

This post was written by Hatchet Reporter Lauren Hoenemeyer.

Screaming students filled the hallways of Thurston Hall – some were running, some had skateboards and others had scooters.

Freshman Elliot Yupin said he used a scooter as a way to attend as many Thurston parties as possible.

“It’s Thurston, and it’s election night. It’s the place to be. It’s better than any weekend party at Thurston,” Yupin said. “I have so many places to be in Thurston that I need to be on my scooter right now.”
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GW’s proximity to the White House was never more evident than the moment hundreds of students left Kogan Plaza and sprinted down Pennsylvania Avenue to Barack Obama’s future home.

Chanting “Yes we did!” “USA!” and “O-ba-ma!” they swarmed the gates with unrestrained energy at 11:30 p.m. As the nation’s eyes turned to Washington, the GW community was in full force, hugging one other, crowd surfing, singing and screaming together in front of major media outlets.

The crowd was primarily GW students even an hour later, after Georgetown and American arrived. Holding American flags and Obama banners, they turned toward the White House and sang, “Na na na na, na na na na, hey hey hey. Goodbye.”

Obama supporters rally near the White House early Thursday morning. Viktors Dindzans/assistant photo editor

“I just want to tell Bush and Republicans that young people are here, we care, and we just picked the new president,” said Alisha Bhagat, a sophomore.

As dozens of cars drove by honking, more people gathered near the White House from all over the city, and the celebration on Pennsylvania Avenue grew consistently larger. By about 12:30 a.m., the crowd had become more diverse, with people of all ages traveling to downtown D.C.

“It’s the most historic day so far in our lifetime,” said senior Lauren Winsten. “I’m going to remember this forever.”

Update: 2:30 a.m.: Most people, especially college students, have left the area near the White House. Park Police, MPD and Secret Service are keeping people in the middle of the road and away from the main gates.

– Jennifer Tchinnosian and Bryan Han contributed to this report.

Click here to read more of The Hatchet’s election coverage from around the city.

This post was written by Hatchet reporters Sophia Shin and Lauren French

D.C. Democrats wasted no time in celebrating the victory of Sen. Barack Obama. Phone calls to loved ones and joy-filled tears filled the ballroom at the Madison Hotel as Obama was projected to win the presidential election.

Music played as D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty and other local D.C. officials took the stage to address the crowd.

“This is a great night for the country,” Fenty said.
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Crowds continue to grow into the thousands at the White House as GW students chant “yes we did” and wish the Republicans “good bye.”

Stay with The Hatchet for more on this developing story.

This post was written by Hatchet reporter Shannon O’Reilly.

D.C. Councilmember Jack Evans, D-Ward 2, won re-election by a landside of 79 percent against opponent Christina Erland Culver. The race for D.C. councilmember at-large ended with the election of D.C. Councilmember Kwame R. Brown, D-At Large, and Michael A. Brown.