As ballots are trickling down towards the end of counting throughout the 50 states, it is clear that Joe Biden is going to be the next U.S. president. After a polarizing election process that captured the attention of millions of Americans, the President-elect now faces a tough task of repairing a country that has become ever more divided over the last four years.

In the Contra Costa community, people are likewise divided in their support for the incoming president. In a nation where politics has been the ultimate cause of conflict, many either believe that Biden will lead the country towards a better future or allow it to continue to erode?

One group of people that feels particularly impacted by the election are business owners. In this community, people have found it challenging projecting not only how their businesses will succeed during COVID-19, but also once the disease gets brought under control and things return to normal.

“I’m just really worried about this presidency,” said a Walnut Creek business owner who chose to remain anonymous.

The man said he feels the country is spiraling downwards and that the Trump administration was the only thing keeping America afloat.

A business owner in Clayton, who also didn’t want to be named, shared similar thoughts.

“As much as I want to believe in Biden, the entire process has been a real pain in my life for how I want to keep a roof over my family’s head, providing security and so on,” he said. 

A self-identified Republican, the Clayton business owner said he attempted to identify with the goals of the Democratic Party, but could not come to terms with the idea that the United States would now be left without the leadership of Trump.

But not all business owners in the region sounded so dispirited about the Biden win. Among some quarters, there was optimism that Biden will flourish and help bring today’s volatile political climate under control.

“Taking away my political bias, I do believe Biden can get the job done,” said Maria Taylor, a self-identified Democrat who lives in the Concord area. 

“A lot of people knock him down and think he’s just this old man who won’t last a full term, but I don’t look at it that way,” she said. In Taylor’s view, Biden has had “years and years of experience that will hopefully be used to get people unified to fight against serious things like COVID-19, police brutality, and other [issues].”

Although Donald Trump has so far refused to concede the election, in all likelihood we will have a new sitting president come January 20, 2021.

However, Trump’s stubbornness to admit defeat and give up his position only makes Biden’s job that much harder. In the meantime, questions are likely to be raised throughout the population, such as, “How will a peaceful transition take place?” or “Will the delay of transitioning power only divide more people?”.

“No matter what happens with the incoming president, I love this country, and I love the people around me,” said Taylor. “I just want people to be unified and come together as a whole. We’ve experienced too much as a community to just continue to fight and attack each other in the middle of a pandemic.

“I understand for many of us, we are stressed, tired, worn, and just had the shit kicked out of us [for four years],” she added, “but through trying times, the only thing that I believe can bring us together is unity and togetherness. Without that, though, it will be another long four years.”