A woman was on the verge of becoming president, and Ruline Steininger — 103 years old — believed on Tuesday that she would witness that moment in history.
Born in 1913 before the first World War when women could not vote, Steininger was the model citizen this year. In February, she caucused for Hillary Clinton a cold February night.
“I’ve got a big job ahead of me … I’ve got to live!” she said at the time. “After that, OK, I can die if I want to, but I’m going to live until she’s elected.”
Then, in September, she became one of the first people in her state to vote in person for Clinton. That day, she even got to meet Clinton backstage.
Standing up from her walker with a handmade “Hillary” sign attached to the front, Steininger clasped Clinton’s hand, She told the Democratic nominee: “I’m not taking any chance and leaving it ’til the election. When you’re 103, you make every minute count.”
“And you have made every minute of all those years count,” Clinton responded.
On Tuesday, like many other Americans, Steininger watched with family as Election Night returns came in.
“If Trump wins, we’re going to England. They got a queen there,” Steininger joked, with CNN’s election coverage playing on her television.
“It won’t bother me, I’m going to die,” she added. “But I’ve got children and grandchildren that are going to be affected by President Trump.”
As the night wore on, it became clear that race was going to be called for Donald Trump, and Steininger learned that there would not be a woman in the White House next year.
“I’m disappointed. We made a lot of progress and it looked like we were going to make a lot more, and now we’re not,” Steininger said. “And that’s going to make a big difference in our country.”
CNN has checked in with Steininger at different moments throughout 2016 and her experiences are documented in the videos above.
