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Elections

Photos of women grieving in Seattle on Election Night

Beth Harrott, left, and Annabelle Richardson, watch the election results come in at The Century Ballroom. And yes, those are wigs (not their real hair) and pantsuits for Hillary, just to be clear.
Meryl Schenker for KUOW
Beth Harrott, left, and Annabelle Richardson, watch the election results come in at The Century Ballroom. And yes, those are wigs (not their real hair) and pant suits for Hillary, just to be clear.

The Pantsuit Nation was ready for a landslide.

Instead, Donald Trump, the Republican won. And Hillary Clinton conceded by midnight.

Seattleites were devastated, women in particular. A night of revelry, of promises to daughters, interrupted by what they called a nightmare. The man who bragged about grabbing women by the pussy, who was accused by a dozen women of sexual assault in past weeks, was elected president.

Some women vomited. Others left early. Many cried.

Washington state is deep blue, because of progressive Seattle. There was talk of the liberal bubble – could this city be so myopic? Who were these people who voted for him? The disbelief unfurled on Facebook and Twitter and in text messages between girlfriends, grandmother and mothers and daughters.

It was as though a collective low moan blanketed the region. 

Whyyyyyy.

Nooooooo.

If this was you on Tuesday night, you were not alone. Here are photos that capture that mood, captured by Meryl Schenker, Bond Huberman, Deborah Wang and Kara McDermott.

[asset-images[{"caption": "At The Comet tavern, Elizabeth Gore, 23, left, and Courtney Davis, 25, remain optimistic and hopeful (their words) despite the roller coaster ride of emotions that they experienced during the night. Things were pretty somber and then the song Don't stop believing came on and the girls starting dancing, believing that Clinton was on the upswing.", "fid": "131393", "style": "placed_full", "uri": "public://201611/schenker_davis.jpg", "attribution": "Credit Meryl Schenker for KUOW"}]]Remember that feeling?  

And then this feeling?

[asset-images[{"caption": "Sri Vasamsetti, 22, who moved here from Chicago to work for Microsoft, said, It's terrifying to watch the map turn red, as she watched the Florida results roll in at The Comet tavern in Seattle. ", "fid": "131386", "style": "placed_full", "uri": "public://201611/schenker_Sri.jpg", "attribution": "Credit Meryl Schenker for KUOW"}]]Which gave way to this. 

[asset-images[{"caption": "Betty Ann Wolf, 89, is hugged by her daughter Kate Wolf, 50, both of Seattle, at The Century Ballroom, as the election results come in favoring Trump.", "fid": "131395", "style": "placed_full", "uri": "public://201611/schenker_wolf_0.jpg", "attribution": "Credit Meryl Schenker for KUOW"}]]People remained stoic -- many said they didn't know how to feel.  

[asset-images[{"caption": "Rachel O'Sullivan (at Rachel's Ginger Beer on Capitol Hill in Seattle) said, I'm so nervous I feel like I'm going to throw up, early in the night when the swing states were looking like they were going to Trump. ", "fid": "131392", "style": "placed_full", "uri": "public://201611/schenker_osullivan.jpg", "attribution": "Credit Meryl Schenker for KUOW"}]]

[asset-images[{"caption": "Tracey Tran of Seattle is worried (her words) that Donald Trump will be the next President of the United States. She was with friends at The Comet.", "fid": "131387", "style": "placed_full", "uri": "public://201611/meryl1.jpg", "attribution": "Credit KUOW Photo/Meryl Schenker "}]]

[asset-images[{"caption": "", "fid": "131388", "style": "placed_full", "uri": "public://201611/futurefemale-Bond.jpg", "attribution": "Credit KUOW Photo/Bond Huberman"}]]

[asset-images[{"caption": "", "fid": "131390", "style": "placed_full", "uri": "public://201611/flag_0.jpg", "attribution": "Credit KUOW Photo/Bond Huberman"}]]

[asset-images[{"caption": "Mary Harris, far left, watches election results come in on Tuesday night, showing Trump winning ground. She is part of a weekly knitting group that meets at Fiber Gallery every Tuesday in Greenwood.", "fid": "131383", "style": "placed_full", "uri": "public://201611/knitting-MaryHarris-KaraMcD.jpg", "attribution": "Credit KUOW Photo/Kara McDermott"}]]

[asset-images[{"caption": "As it becomes clear that Hillary Clinton lost the election and that Donald Trump will be the next President of the United States, Olivia Westbrook, 24, center, and her mom, right, Amanda Westbrooke, 52, reflect in The Century Ballroom in Seattle. It was Olivia's first election. Westbrooke, the mom, and yes with an extra e on her name, said she felt she was in a nightmare. On the left is Laura Michalek, Westbrooke's partner. ", "fid": "131384", "style": "placed_full", "uri": "public://201611/meryl.jpg", "attribution": "Credit Meryl Schenker for KUOW"}]]