New York voters picked Democrat Kamala Harris this election cycle but the country did not.

Students at the University at Albany Wednesday seemed disheartened, not necessarily by the result alone, but the current political environment.

"Hopefully we can unify people a little more. I think, regardless of what you think, nobody wants to be together on anything," Liam Field said.

Sadia Mohammad said she just wants to live in a peaceful environment.

"I don't really feel like there should be a debate about basic human rights or what we should have," she said.

While it's been four decades since a Republican has carried New York, Trump unofficially is faring better than his previous two campaigns and is on pace to garner more votes than any other GOP candidate in the state's history. Broome County Republican Chair Benji Federman says the campaign did a good job reaching out to new demographics of voters.

"Seven out of 10 voters believed that we're on the wrong track in this country and the voters ultimately decided not to reward the incumbent party," Federman said.

New York Democrats did see some other victories, potentially flipping three congressional seats and overwhelmingly passing the state's Equal Rights Amendments which legal experts said will constitutionalize state abortion rights. However, Gov. Kathy Hochul said the party can celebrate those victories later.

"While we honor the results of this election and will work with anyone who wants to be a partner in achieving the goals of our administration and our state, that does not mean we'll accept an agenda from Washington that strips away the rights that New Yorkers have long enjoyed," she said.

Hochul is starting the Empire State Freedom Initiative, which she says will focus on protecting key rights potentially threatened by a Trump administration including LBGTQ, reproductive, labor and other civil rights. She is instructing senior officials and attorneys at all levels of government to work closely with the attorney general's office.

State Attorney General Letitia James pointed out her office took nearly 100 legal actions against the previous Trump administration and is prepared to do it again.

"No matter what the next administration throws at us, we're ready. We're ready to respond to their attacks," James said.

Hochul said she would work with Trump on things like repealing the State and Local Tax reduction cap, supporting and funding New York City transit and backing economic development projects such as those funded by the CHIPS and Science Act.