Trump win shocks even true believers

NEW YORK — As election evening began in Midtown Manhattan, people who wanted Donald Trump to win — loyal Republicans who risked the scorn of conservative critics to work hard on Trump’s behalf — were not only not sure he would win, they were actively trying to imagine the best-case scenario for his defeat.

About 4:30 in the afternoon, I ran into a well-connected Republican operative on Sixth Avenue. She thought Florida didn’t look good — Trump would have to make up too many votes to counter a heavy Hispanic turnout. But North Carolina looked good, as did Ohio and Iowa. All that was OK, but wit...