Following the election results, millions of Americans across the nation found themselves depressed and shocked that Clinton didn’t win. Members of the Lubbock County Democratic Party said it was a rough evening watching the numbers come in at the Reagor Dykes watch party. Campaiging for Clinton since 2006, Leo Flores said he’s trying to figure out what went wrong.
“I honestly cried on the way home, and I cried this morning as well during her speech,” said Flores. “I’m wondering if I could have done more, I walked the streets, I put up signs, I door knocked.”
The chair of the party, Marjorie Amonett calls herself a ‘yellow dog’ democrat. Like Flores, she also campaigned for Clinton in years past and feels a strong sense of sadness to not see her win the election. Although distraught, Amonett said this is a time to grow stronger as a party. She plans to crunch the numbers and figure out exactly how many Lubbock citizens didn’t vote.
“We definitely need to do some rebuilding within our own county party,” said Amonett. “We have vacant precinct chairs that need to be filled, so if anyone in that precinct wants to help, please give me a call.”
Gaining her PHD in clinical psychology at Texas Tech University, Nicole Seymour is studying suicide and depression. Seymour said she has already encountered people struggling with extreme negative emotions following this election. She said with such a big loss, partnered with a sense of hopelessness, makes for the perfect recipe for post election depression.
“A large part of it is that we develop this sense of identity with a group, and when our group doesn’t end up achieving what we wanted it to we to, the loss is even more personal.” said Seymour.