Election signs from Tuesday's mid-term elections are still visible on roads in Calais, Maine.
A busy street lined with local businesses --- including the Mercier Hair Salon.
Owner Ralph Mercier moved here six years ago after living in Washington, D.C. for 40 years.
He says the city he left has become fragmented.
“By somebody I believe isn't fit to hold that office,” Mercier said. “It's been proven time and time again with the fear and the rhetoric towards folks of different colour, different ethnicities, and different religious beliefs. It's not the country I know.”
These mid-term elections have been described as a referendum on Donald Trump's presidency and residents in Calais seem to agree with that assessment.
"I would have liked to have seen more change occur,” said Calais resident Bob Neuman. “I can't believe that people actually listen to Trump and all his garbage and actually believe it.”
Others here have been turned off of politics altogether.
“It was pretty much what I expected,” said Calais resident Matthew Clancy. “I see both of the parties are pretty much the same thing. They both love the war, so I don't see much of a difference between the two.”
Democrat Janet Mills won Maine's governor race. It’s a historic win as she’s set to become the first woman to serve in that role in the state.
“I do hope this election sends a powerful signal, a message to the women and girls of Maine, of any age, there is no obstacle you cannot overcome. None," Mills said in her victory speech.
But in Calais -- feelings about the future are mixed.
There’s both hope and pessimism from Americans now living in a new political landscape.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Laura Lyall.
