President-elect Donald Trump arrives at an election watch party in West Palm Beach Wednesday. AP PHOTO/EVAN VUCCI

The election of Donald Trump back to the presidency Tuesday included more than 250,000 ballots in support from Lee County voters.

Trump captured 63% of the electorate in Lee County, improving on his showing in 2020 when he earned 59% of the county vote.

Trump became the first Republican in 20 years to capture the popular vote in a presidential election, earning 72 million votes (51%) compared to 67 million votes for Vice President Kamala Harris. The ascension of Trump marks the first time since 1892 that a president was elected to a non-consecutive term.

Lee County Republican Party Chair Michael Thompson said the election of former president Donald Trump Tuesday was a five-year mission for him and hundreds of local GOP volunteers in Lee County who have been working to get the 45th president back into office since before his 2020 loss to President Joe Biden and ever since.

“It paid off,” Thompson said.

“We cleaned house last night across the board.”

Thompson said all of the candidates nominated by the party won — from local school board races to the Lee County Schools Superintendent’s race to county commissioner races and up to state legislative seats.

“We’re on cloud nine right now,” Thompson said.

Thompson, who was elected as party chair two years ago, intends to step down in December.

“I was only here to get President Trump elected.”

Now that Trump was regained the presidency, Thompson said his work is done.

“He’s going to not only make America great again but he’s going to restore America’s greatness on the global stage,” Thompson said.

Thompson said he expects Trump to bring down gas prices, the price of groceries and revitalize the nation’s energy sector.

“The economy’s going to get better,” he said.

State Sen. Jonathan Martin, a Fort Myers Republican who represents most of Lee County in District 33, was re-elected Tuesday with 66% of the vote.

“I think it’s clear that the direction the Democrats, Biden and Harris has taken the country has been refuted by the voters,” Martin said. “A few years ago, it was a lot less expensive to live in this country, especially in Florida.”

Martin believes Trump will improve the economy and other pressing issues.

“Donald Trump has a plan to address issues overseas, address the economy, address our security on the border,” Martin said. “He has a much more clear plan on how he was going to move the economy forward and keep the country safe.”

Martin said the voters who elected Trump showed a “complete disagreement to how he was portrayed in the media.”

Cindy Banyai, a Democratic political consultant who narrowly lost a race Tuesday for a seat on the City of Fort Myers Council and who has previously run for Congress, said she was proud of the efforts of Democrats locally but was “unsurprised” by the results of the presidential election.

“We knew it was going to be a turnout election and we didn’t turn out,” Banyai said of Democratic voters nationally. “I’m very worried about how things are going to turn out. I am worried about people who are going to get wrapped up in the mass deportations.”

Banyai said she is concerned for the health of women and those whose lives could be put at risk by not being able to get abortions in time or suffering miscarriages due to the state’s six-week abortion law ban. An amendment on the state ballot which would have protected abortion rights and superceded the six-week ban failed to pass due to the measure only receiving the support of 57% of voters. The measure needed 60% of voter support to pass.

Trump ascended to the presidency with 295 electoral votes compared to 226 votes for Harris as ballots continued to be counted in Arizona and Nevada Wednesday night.

He narrowly reversed the Democratic wins in Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin that Biden scored in 2020. Biden dropped out of the presidential race in summer — paving the way for Harris to capture the party’s nomination at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

“America is undergoing a huge re-alignment and the Republican Party is now a multi-ethnic, multi-racial coalition of hard-working Americans who love their country,” Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio said in a statement. “Now it’s time to get to work and put the interests of Americans first. I look forward to working with Vice President-elect Vance, and Republican majorities in Congress to secure the borders, strengthen our communities, lower costs and bring good jobs back to America. As we turn the page on the last four years, I urge my Democrat colleagues to put aside their grievances and join us in doing what is right for our great country.”