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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The long-awaited declaration of a victor in the presidential race finally came on Saturday morning, and Staten Islanders prominent in the boroughs politics are reacting to Joe Bidens projected win.

Congratulations President-elect Biden! said James Clinton, executive director of the Staten Island Democratic Party. Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are the right leaders to lead all of us through these times. We look forward to a strong future for this country.

Democratic Rep. Max Rose -- who has not yet conceded in his election to Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis, pending the count of about 40,000 absentee ballots -- offered his congratulations to Biden and Harris in a Tweet Saturday afternoon.

Now is the time to put aside differences others use to divide us, heal the nation, rebuild the economy and beat this pandemic, he wrote.

That message echoed the sentiment of unity projected by Biden in televised speeches on Thursday and Friday evenings, as the country waited for a winner to be named.

But one of the most boroughs most recognizable Trump supporters, the controversial public artist Scott LoBaido, railed against messaging that he sees as hypocritical.

It is despicable!" LoBaido said. "The same people who did not accept Trump as president and spent four years frivolously, unconstitutionally trying to bring him down, and disrespected him are now the party of Unity?

"Call me a sore-loser or whatever, he continued. I call bull****! I will continue my decades-long mission to preserve America as we know it and keep her from being slaughtered from within!

In contrast, comments from Trumps strongest detractors on Staten Island put into stark relief the divergent viewpoints that made the presidential election so hotly contested.

Illustrating the anti-Trump sentiment held by some Biden voters, activist Yesenia Mata said: No more children in cages, no more families separated, no more attacks on our immigrant communities and time for bold immigration reform."

Mata is the executive director of La Colmena, a job community center in Port Richmond.

Councilman Joseph Borelli, who has been a strong supporter of Trump and was instrumental locally in the presidents 2016 campaign, simply congratulated Biden and wished him luck.

Councilwoman Debi Rose commented on the historic nature of the win.

Todays news is a win for democracy over demagoguery, and a win for women and our struggle to break the glass ceiling of inequity councilwoman Rose said. "This is especially significant for women of color, who will have a mirror image of themselves present in the second highest office in America.

I hope and pray that this nation will come together to defeat this pandemic, rebuild our economy and unite in a spirit of healing and mutual respect.

TRUMPS STATEN ISLAND WIN

Bidens projected win is a bright spot for Staten Island Democrats, who saw some stinging results at the polls on Election Day, with local Republicans riding a wave of support for President Trump.

Republican Michael Tannousis won the vacant East Shore state assembly seat; the Chairman of the Staten Island Democratic Party, Assemblyman Michael Cusick, is currently behind in a nail-biter with his challenger; and, despite Rep. Roses refusal to concede, Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis declared victory in their hard-fought battle.

Malliotakis did not respond to an Advance/SILive.com request for comment in time for publication, but Trumps endorsement of her candidacy for Congress was a prominent part of her campaign and she thanked him on Election Night in her victory speech.

She tweeted on Saturday support for the presidents efforts to pursue their options until every legal vote is counted.

Staten Island was the only borough in New York City won by Trump in 2016, and with just the in-person ballots counted so far, almost 9,000 additional Staten Island votes have already been counted for Trump in 2020.

Trumps total vote count in 2016 was 101,437, and at least 110,094 in-person votes cast for him during the 2020 pandemic.

It is unclear how wide Trumps margin on Staten Island will be after the more than 30,000 mail-in ballots from Staten Island voters are counted, but only about 67,000 votes were made in-person for the Biden-Harris ticket.

SOME NEW YORKERS TAKE TO THE STREETS

People celebrate in Times Square, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2020. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)AP

In Manhattan, Biden supporters filled Times Square on Saturday afternoon, cheering and celebrating the projection of the former vice presidents victory.

Throngs also cheered on the sidewalk outside Trump Tower, the presidents longtime home, and gathered by the hundreds in public plazas that have served as gathering spots for Black Lives Matter protests.

Kyle Boyd, of Brooklyn, said he heard the commotion and instinctively grabbed the cowbell he had banged during nightly celebrations for health care workers throughout the coronavirus pandemic.

I hadnt quite imagined it, Boyd said over the shouting of revelers as a man hoisted a bottle of champagne nearby. I had no idea when it would come.

In Harlem, chants of Black Lives Matter mixed with cheers, claps, horn-honking among a multiracial crowd on a plaza on the neighborhoods main drag, 125th Street. Some danced to R&B classics and, later, sang Lift Every Voice and Sing, the hymn also known as the Black national anthem.

If Biden does what he says hes going to do, were going to be a great country, Terence Blakes, who goes by the name Born Life, said as he watched. The 53-year-old, who works at a Harlem school, said hed waited two to three hours to vote in his precinct in Brooklyn.

ASSOCIATED PRESS MATERIAL WAS USED IN THIS REPORT

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From the right leaders to despicable: Staten Island reaction to Bidens projected win - SILive.com