The Nov. 5 election results are in. Donald Trump won both the popular vote and more than the 270 Electoral College votes needed to secure the top of the ticket; he will be the second president to serve two non-consecutive terms. Meanwhile, Adam Schiff claimed the U.S. Senate seat. A closely-watched race in Orange County between Scott Baugh and Dave Min remains too close to call. Amid this historic election season, it is essential for Americans to remember the power of dialogue.

Cianna Ruiz, an Orange County native, commented on the Harris-Trump campaign saying, “This is like high school drama but in the government. Kamala is pretty good. She is focusing on the issues of the people. But Trump is acting like a teenager and being unprofessional. He needs to grow up and focus on what the country needs instead of bad-mouthing Kamala.” 

Referring to the Schiff/Garvey contest, Dr. CJ Armstrong, Professor of History and Theology said, “One is a proven lawmaker with a record of law-making and the other a Republican celebrity candidate,” he said. Garvey is most well known for his experience as a Dodgers first baseman. Schiff took 57.3% of the vote while Garvey secured 42.7%, Schiff’s win was not a surprise. 

On the local front, student Timothy Wu commented on the Orange County contest between Scott Baugh and Dave Min. “I know Scott Baugh personally. He is a person of good character… This will be a very tight race,” he said. 

No matter what your political beliefs are, it is crucial to continue remaining in dialogue with one another. 

Lucy Swan, History and Political Thought major said, “The best we can do as ‘the people’ is exercise the civic virtue of civil discourse, disagreeing and deliberating on whether or not something is a good policy, to come to a better conclusion about how our country should operate.” 

Armstrong concurred with Swan. “We need to have open and civil dialogue so that we can call out actual evil and have a world where our voice can shape living at peace with one another,” he said. 

Further contributing to the conversation about polarization, Dr. David Schulz, Professor and Chairman of Communications Studies, said, “Part of our political polarization is akin to a team mentality that people have imported from sports into politics. That is,  politics, like sports, has become a zero-sum game. If my identity is crushed because my team lost or a politician won, my identity is not truly mine. Many Americans’ polarized frameworks for understanding politics often results in a loss for democracy.” 

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