Northland-based Americans ecstatic Biden won US presidential battle

Whangārei-based Americans celebrating Joe Biden's win are, from left, Leslie Allen, Gina Eiger, Andrew Deas, Joan Bregante and Tricia Culina. Photo / Imran Ali

Ecstatic and absolutely joyous — that's how some Northland-based Americans are reacting to Joe Biden winning the White House over incumbent Donald Trump.

The 77-year-old secured 290 electoral votes to Trump's 214 and will be sworn in as the 46th President of the United States in January, barring any legal challenge from Trump.

Gina Eiger, of Whangārei, is from Montana — a conservative Republican state — and had a party with expat Americans on Wednesday evening and woke up to the good news the following day that Biden was inching closer to the White House.

"Most Americans I know of in Whangārei are absolutely thrilled that Biden has won. We're all anxiously waiting what happens in the next few days but I hope sense will prevail and Trump will be gracious in accepting defeat.

"But who knows? That's Trump. Recounts have rarely flipped the results. I am concerned what's gonna happen next but I have a great deal of faith in humanity and I just hope the posturing will stop."

Eiger said Biden might be old but he was feisty and a decent guy who had been around for a long time.

Her children, grandchildren, and sisters are in the US and Eiger said her deepest concern was the spread of Covid-19 cases across the country. The US recorded 126,156 cases yesterday and 1013 deaths.

Her daughter is immune-compromised after undergoing breast cancer treatment and so is Eiger, who was diagnosed with the same condition in 2013.

Tricia Culina said people had recognised that Trump was delusional and was trying to pull the wool over everyone's eyes, but it didn't work this time.

She's from San Juan Islands in North West Washington and said Biden's win was "absolutely joyous".

"I actually felt that hardly anybody would vote for him [Trump]. I was shocked that he got so many votes but I did expect Biden to win. But for a while there, it was definitely a worry.

"I feared for the world when Trump got elected and now I have so much hope and I am looking forward to sanity, unity, and all the good things."

Joan Bregante is ecstatic Biden won, as well as the fact Kamala Harris would be the next Vice President.

On rioting, the native of Santa Barbara in California said: "I don't think it's ever happened before, I think the country is completely divided, it's divided in half. Biden and Harris will have to unite the country and it's going to take them more than four years to undo everything Trump has done."

Andrew Deas was born in Australia but has lived in Florida on and off for about 15 years but he's never voted in the US elections.

He thinks Trump has got a huge fanbase which will support him, no matter what he does.

"But I think he's upset enough people that have forced a lot more people to come out and vote because he's been so bad for the country, and the world as a whole that they wanted to see a change."

Leslie Allen comes from Kentucky and has lived in Whangārei for nine years.

She voted for Biden but has friends and cousins who supported Trump.

"One of my girlfriend's very anti-abortion and that's why she supports Trump but at the end of the day, she votes for her party and doesn't really look at the character."