While many people around the Bay Area were stunned at the result of the presidential election, there were some who were wondering how the others could not see it coming.
Local Donald Trump supporters were celebrating Wednesday and said now they no longer feel the need to hide their backing for the now president-elect.
Trump supporters in Contra Costa and Santa Clara counties, the two Bay Area counties with the highest number of registered Republicans, feel they can now be more vocal about their political views.
Some were celebrating in the shadows because they feel admitting they voted for Trump makes them a target.
Lili Arauz Haase switched from Independent to Republican four months ago. She said she always believed Trump would win.
"I don’t support Mr. Trump as a Latina; I support Mr. Trump as an American," she said, adding that she doesn’t recognize democracy because of the hate she has to endure when people find out she supports Trump. "I was hoping people were going to be more tolerant."
Rick Oltman, of Marin County Trump for President, knows how Haase feels. He has had signs burned in his front yard.
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Now, he's looking toward the future.
"I think I’m still in shock," he said. "In a couple of months, he’ll be sworn in as president, and we can get to work on the problems our country has."
Meanwhile, some Trump backers are no longer hiding their support. Ryan Busbee, for one, says he feels liberated.
"I have felt extreme hatred," the Walnut Creek resident said, referring to threats he received for posting Trump stickers on his vehicle. "The vulgar words, the bottles thrown at my car, bottles under my tire, getting keyed."
On Wednesday, Busbee decorated his car with a "We did it Trumpers" sticker and felt more confident and comfortable doing so.
"Now I feel like people have come out of the woodwork, Donald Trump supporters," he said.
Matt Shupe, the communications chair with the Contra Costa Republican Party, said those in the Bay Area who are stunned that Trump will be the nation’s 45th president may simply be out of touch with the rest of America.
"I think that people are fundamentally unhappy with the direction of the country," Shupe said. "Especially here in the Bay Area, you live in a bubble. And you listen to an echo chamber."
Trump has said he represents the new guard.
"I think that politics as usual is no longer acceptable," Shupe said. "I think a new form of campaigning has emerged, more emphasis on the digital social media."
Busbee just hopes America embraces the change.
"I hope the Hillary Clinton supporters will accept this nomination, our President-elect Donald Trump, with open hearts," he said.
