New Yorkers welcome both presidential candidates for the first time since 1944
NEW YORK CITY (WISH) — With both candidates ending their campaigns here, extra security precautions are being taken across the city in places like Times Square and the election party venues.
The Clinton campaign will be at the Jacob Javits convention center, but everyone had to leave that building hours ago, so security sweeps of the building and even our equipment could be completed.
More than 1,000 Javits Center crew members worked to prepare this space for Hillary Clinton and hundreds of her supporters.
A number of free tickets were offered to the public… but much of the space will be taken up by about 2,500 members of the media.
Here are some reactions from New York voters:
“It’ll be electric and I’ll be interested to see how people will react. It’ll be nice,” said New York voter Linwood Smith.
“I think it’s going to be crazy,” said Nevada voter and New York City tourist Scott Bastain.
‘I think i’ll feel conflicted, just because I know it’s not going to end today. A lot of the feelings that people have are going to continue and get more complicated,” said New York voter Elyse Moody.
“The country will not die and it will not go to hell whoever is the candidate. It was the lesser of two evils in mind, and so I cast the lesser of two evils,” said New York voter John Manley.
“I just don’t think he has any ideas or policies and he’s very full of hate. I think it will be very scary for everyone,” New York voter Danny Mohan said.
“I like Trump. I think he’s a great businessman. Just because I support Hillary doesn’t mean that I don’t think he would work to be the best president he could be,” New York voter Lisa Anderson said.
Clinton supporters are excited to have the former New York senator in the Big Apple for election night, but some voiced concern about having both campaigns in the same city.
“I hear Trump is supposed to be in town too, so there’s definitely going to be a bit of a buzz and things getting changed around a bit,” Smith said.
“I think just the energy is going to be crazy, mostly because they both have really big ties to the city,” Zeke Cacres said. “I’m just worried that there may be some negative backlash or might be some protests or riots, you know you can’t predict what will happen.”
The Javits Center will reopen to members of the media early Tuesday morning. Clinton continued her campaigning overnight with a midnight rally in Raleigh, North Carolina.