By Andrew Martins, Managing Editor
As the inevitability of a Donald Trump presidency loomed over their heads, a number of Hillsborough residents stood in protest along a busy county road just hours before he assumed power., At the intersection of Route 206 and Amwell Road, members of the Hillsborough Democrats Organization held a candlelight vigil on Thursday in a symbolic gesture against an incoming president that their Chairman John Beggiato called “unfit to hold public office.”, “We don’t see that the Trump administration is going to bring the country in the right direction,” he said. “In fact, we think he’s going to try to take us back to the 40’s and 50’s – that’s not a very progressive movement for us.”, Held on what was billed as the “National Resist Day,” which saw thousands of people take to the streets in Washington D.C., as well as other major cities throughout the country., Mr. Beggiato said the vigil was the brainchild of concerned residents who wanted to show their solidarity but could not make it to any of the larger events., “We want to talk about how we can express out feelings about the various things that are going on around the country,” he said., Rather than hold a rally during the day, Mr. Beggiato said the group chose a more somber approach, opting for LED candlesticks and the evening air, rather than placards and bullhorns., Though each member had their own main reason for worry in an America run by the bombastic Republican, members of the Hillsborough Democratic Organization said the list of causes for his compatriots’ concern was long., Fears among the group included the repeal of the Affordable Care Act, as well as the infringement of various civil, women’s and voter rights, Mr. Beggiato said., “People are upset and they believe that Trump will bring the country back to a place where they believed we had risen above,” he said. “His work is being perceived as, and what I believe as, a White Supremacist movement that’s going on and I think a lot of people are not happy with that.”, Though left-leaning residents of Hillsborough were concerned over the next four years, the group has seen some silver linings., Donald Trump may have beaten Secretary Hillary Clinton for the presidency, but according to the Somerset County Board of Elections, voters in Hillsborough supported the Democratic candidate with 10,276 votes. In contrast, the President Donald Trump earned 9,354 votes., And while the Township Committee is entirely comprised of Republicans, Mr. Beggiato said the organization is already vetting two potential candidates for future races for the governing body., He said interest in the party has also surged since President Trump won the election back in November., “We are organizing to determine exactly how we can be the most effective so that we can make sure to stem the tide of the Trump administration,” Mr. Beggiato said. “We believe that the way to do that starts at the local level with individuals.”, To that end, the Hillsborough Democrats are already planning future fundraising events to better support the party in future races and modeling their actions with other political groups, including the Conservative Tea Party movement., “If they were successful at it, then we will be too,” he said.
