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By ALEC ETHEREDGE | Publisher 

In one of the most polarizing political stories in history, Donald J. Trump will serve as the 47th President of the United States after earning the necessary 270 electoral votes during the Tuesday, Nov. 5 General Election.

At 1 a.m. Wednesday morning, the race was first called in favor of Trump by the FOX News after he won battleground states of Georgia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin to earn the edge over current Vice President Kamala Harris.

As of Wednesday at 6 a.m., the Associated Press joined FOX News, calling Wisconsin to give him 277 electoral votes. The only states still not called on Wednesday morning by the AP were Michigan, Nevada, Arizona and Alaska, all of which Trump led by decent margins.

With the projected win, the former president and new president becomes just the second in history to serve two non-consecutive terms, now joining Grover Cleveland.

“This was a movement like nobody has ever seen before and frankly I think this is the greatest political movement of all time,” Trump said as he addressed a large crowd on Tuesday night in Palm Beach, Fla. “It’s going to reach a new level of importance because we are going to help our country heal. We have a country that needs help and needs it very badly.”

Trump was grateful for the American people for giving him the opportunity for a second term, while also pointing toward the future and the fight he plans to put in for the people.

“We overcame obstacles that nobody thought possible and it is now clear that we’ve achieved the most incredible political thing,” he said. “It’s a political victory that our country has never seen before. I want to thank the American people for being elected your 45th president and 47th president. I will fight for you and your family and your future. Every single day I will be fighting for you. I will not rest until we have delivered the strong, safe and prosperous America that our children deserve and you deserve. This will truly be the golden age of America.”

Trump was joined by family and friends on stage as he delivered a victory speech, including J.D. Vance.

“I appreciate you allowing me to join in on this incredible journey,” Vance said. “I appreciate the trust you have in me, and I think we just witnessed the greatest political comeback in American political history. Under President Trump’s leadership, we will never stop fighting for you. For your dreams, for the future of your children, and, after the greatest political comeback in American history, we’re going to lead the greatest economic comeback in American history.” 

While nationwide votes were still being tabulated as the race was projected in his favor, Trump earned 64.57 percent of the vote in Alabama after all counties were reporting.

He received a total of 1,451,948 votes across the state, while Harris garnered 766,860 votes.

Those numbers came out of 2,248,685 total ballots cast during Tuesday’s election.

As for Shelby County’s numbers, the county residents, considered to be one of the most conservative counties in the state, voted heavily in favor of Trump with 69.50 percent of county residents voting in his favor.

He ultimately earned 79,522 votes out of 114,412 votes.

Harris postponed addressing her supporters at Howard University during the early-morning hours of Wednesday, delaying any concession of the presidency.

During the night, the Republican party also won back the Senate, while it looks likely the party will also retain control of the House of Representatives.

The only other seat on the ballot in Shelby County that was contested and not local was for the Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice.

Sarah Stewart, a Republican from Mobile, took the seat over Democratic candidate Greg Griffin.

Stewart earned 71.88 percent of the vote in Shelby County, or 77,146 votes, while she collected 1,406,418 votes statewide.

Stewart is an Associate Justice on the Alabama Supreme Court, elected as a Republican in November 2018 for a six-year term. Before her appointment, she served for thirteen years as a Circuit Judge in Mobile and was the first female jury trial judge in the area.

She will now take over as Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court for Tom Parker, who could not seek re-election due to age.