Election night and the ballad of politics

On election night, Martha and Tom Hamilton hosted a watch party for their family and friends, welcoming about 15 guests - all Republican voters, except for two teenagers who were too young to vote.

Among the guests was Jeanie Hink, a Republican singer-songwriter with a unique perspective on the night’s events.

Hink, who wrote The Ballad of Donald J., shared that her inspiration came from a desire to express her views on former President Donald Trump.

“I wrote a song called The Ballad of Donald J because I’m sort of a ballad writer, and it’s for sharing history, and also to just let out my feelings about him and the situation of the country,” Hink said.

But Trump isn’t the only person Hink has written a ballad about.

Her first protest ballad was dedicated to Wayne Price, a farmer from PepsiCo. Price was arrested after removing his belongings from a bankrupt grain elevator he’d rented, which led Hink to travel to Arkansas to sing her ballad outside the jail, where the music was piped throughout the facility.

“That was a lot of fun,” Hink said.

As the election night unfolded, the Hamilton watch party reflected the divisions and emotions surrounding this election. Hink’s protest songs served as a reminder that politics is deeply personal, shaping both the nation’s direction and the music that captures it.

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