Donald Trump is shown with his runningmate Vice President Elect Mike Pence (on left) and his son Barron (on left).
Donald J. Trump was elected as the 45th President of the United States on Tuesday, shocking many and marking the end of another historic race. The victory was announced in the early hours Wednesday morning following a concession by Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.
But how did Trump go from reality star turned business mogul with absolutely no political background to U.S. President-Elect?
Promises to "Make America Great Again" were highlighted by racial, gender and religious stereotypical language and combined with an active effort to defy the usual governmental establishment is what earned Trump avid support that proved true at the polls on voting days.
Trump's victory was catapulted by the success of key battleground states like Ohio, Pennsylvania and notoriously Florida. The Panhandle, which was won by Democratic Nominee President Barack Obama during the 2012 presidential election, proved yet again to be a close call.
The former "Apprentice" host won multiple major Florida counties including Duval and Orange counties, but things were very different for those in Leon County.
According to LeonVotes.org, Clinton garnered a total of 91,936 votes giving her a nearly 25% percent edge over Trump in the area.
“Voters came out in droves and I was actually surprised to see how many were openly voting for Hilary Clinton.” local precinct worker Lisa Campbell stated.
But for 23-year old Tallahassee resident, Lexus James, the choice was clear.
"I thought it was important to make a smart and knowledgeable decision," James explained of her vote for Clinton. "Now, I'm nervous because people's lives are about to be forever changed by the decisions of a rich reality TV star."
Florida A&M student, Aleia Asbey, echoed that response to the outcome, which came as a shock to her.
"I really felt like during the whole campaign that it was no way this guy could really win and be in the White House," Asbey explained. "Then as time got closer to Election Day I was like wow he has a lot of supporters, but it's still no way. Then once he won, I was in disbelief."
Though local results showed vastly greater support for Clinton, Trump's impact did not go unnoticed.
Local Florida State student, Jessica Bacon, joyously reflected on Trump's victory and her involvement in the outcome.
"This was my first time voting, and I couldn't be more proud of how things turned out," Bacon exclaimed. "I have total faith that he'll do exactly what he's been preaching."
Twenty-eight year veteran Supervisor of Elections Ion Sancho was most proud of the vast number of Leon County voters who came to the polls. This election marked the last Sancho is overseeing.
“We had over 5,000 more voters come out than in any previous election, breaking our 2008 record,” Sancho said.
By 11 p.m., however, Trump's Floridian footprint proved to be large enough for him to secure the state and just under three hours later the New Yorker had all but won the race. Trump garnered just under the necessary 270 Electoral College votes at the time of Clinton's concession announcement.
The 70-year old took to Twitter Wednesday morning to address the victory.
"Such a beautiful and important evening," Trump tweeted at nearly 6:30 a.m. Wednesday. "The forgotten man and woman will never be forgotten again. We will all come together as never before."
In an earlier press conference, in which Trump addressed a crowd of supporters in his home state, the President-Elect vowed to be a leader for all American people.
"I pledge to be president for all Americans," mogul told onlookers in New York after his victory was finalized. "We are going to rebuild our inner cities … We will rebuild our infrastructure, which will become second to none."