The result of Tuesday’s presidential election isn’t what many Americans expected.

Donald Trump obtained a commanding lead in electoral votes over Hillary Clinton, who was ahead by more than 206,000 popular votes on Wednesday afternoon. Totals from two more states remained outstanding: Michigan and New Hampshire, though these states’ combined total of 20 electoral votes would not be enough to change the outcome of the race.

Reaction to Tuesday’s election of Trump from Grays Harbor Democrats Chairperson Robin Moore doesn’t vary much from that of any other hard-line member of the party.

“How is my reaction to the election yesterday? Very, very, very, very sad,” she said. “Very embarrassed for the United States of America.”

Grays Harbor turned from blue to red for the presidential election. While Hillary Clinton handily won the state, she lost in Grays Harbor County, 9,691 votes to 8,533. As to why, Moore is among the many Democrats searching for an answer.

“I don’t have a theory (as to what turned the Harbor to Trump),” she said. “I’ve been listening to all the various talking heads, and they don’t know either.”

As an example of what may have turned the tables, she describes a personal friend, “who is a very rational, nice woman, sweet as can be,” but “was taken early on by Trump’s candor. As many people say, ‘He says what’s on his mind.’ Well, a lot of people do that. It doesn’t mean we should make them our president.”

Moore wasn’t particularly happy with the local races either, but takes solace in the victories of Democrats in the districts that include Grays Harbor County and the success of party members in statewide offices.

“As far as local goes, that’s pretty sad too,” she said. “I’m happy the fellas of the 24th won, happy that Teresa Purcell seems to be winning, and I’m certainly happy that our Governor and Patti Murray and the Democrats of the state seem to be doing pretty well.”

She was also pleased with the overwhelming support Initiative 735 received. “I’m happy the initiative against Citizens United seems to be winning,” she said.

The initiative, according to the ballot title, “would urge the Washington state congressional delegation to propose a federal constitutional amendment that constitutional rights belong only to individuals, not corporations, and constitutionally-protected free speech excludes the spending of money.”

Citizens United is the term used in reference to the 2010 U.S. Supreme Court decision that declared political campaign donations made by corporations were protected under the First Amendment, meaning businesses can make donations without full public disclosure. Proponents of the initiative claim that decision has led to out-of-control contributions that keep the average voter out of the political process.

To sum it all up, Moore said, “So I’m feeling pretty much as you would expect of a Democrat. We shall move forward.”

One local Republican Party official thought the results were going to be even tighter.

“I’m a little surprised about the size of his margin in electoral votes. I thought it was going to be super, super close,” said Jim Walsh, vice chairman of Washington State Republican Party and chair of its Political Operations Committee. “It has been an interesting year. Nobody could have predicted this, and people will be studying it for decades.”

Walsh described Trump’s place in American politics as “populist” because his message is clearly resonating, so many Americans have been willing to put up with his behavior. The country’s blue-collar voters especially see potential in him, he said.

“Teddy Roosevelt was the last great American populist. Hope is that Trump can be a reformer and populist in the Teddy Roosevelt mold,” Walsh said. “His foul mouth and style is something a lot of people don’t like, but from the beginning he’s been speaking truth to power. He’s upsetting the establishment.”

As a conservative, he thinks the office of president receives too much emphasis anyway.

“The Speaker of the House has almost as much power as the president,” Walsh said. “Our system of government is supposed to spread the power around. The system is supposed to be bigger than any one person and be able to withstand any one person. Maybe we ought to think about things like that again.”

All of Trump’s criticisms about Obama’s executive orders might also cause people think about constitutional limits on executive power. Executive orders have been a concern among conservatives since well before Obama started issuing them.

“And that could be a good result,” he said.

Tobi Buckman, a local psychology counselor who is retired from regular practice, said many people found the presidential campaign unsettling, which can cause stress.

“When we don’t know what’s going to happen, it’s OK to be worried, but not OK to worry in that brooding kind of way,” she said. “Focusing on the negative and getting stuck there isn’t good for anybody.”

Because so many distasteful things happened and were said during the campaign, she said it’s OK to be shocked at how everything turned out.

“You look at how all the polls and commentators were completely off … Even the professionals didn’t get how unhappy people were with the way politics have been going,” Buckman said. “But we need to be respectful of people who have differences in opinion from our own. It’s not the time to gloat. You need to be respectful of other people’s boundaries.”

Buckman suggested people take care of themselves and make sure they spend some time doing things they enjoy if the state of the nation’s politics are overly concerning.

That our politicians urged national unity after the election is one thing to be positive about, she said.

And “there are a lot of people in government who want to do good,” Buckman said. “And you can do something even though as an individual you feel powerless.”

That would include volunteering or getting involved in the political process. Simply showing others kindness can lift one’s mood.

If all else fails, she suggests taking a limited amount of time to vent your frustrations.

“Set a timer,” she said. “Acknowledge those thoughts, get rid of them, then get on with something else. Don’t let them take over.”