Fox News hosts Shannon Bream and chief political anchor Bret Baier discuss the campaign stops of both presidential candidates ahead of Election Day on 'The Story.'

Election nights occur in an atmosphere of exhaustion and relief as our presidential campaign cycles have grown longer. Ask people how they feel on election eve, and you’re likely to hear, "I just want it to be over." We don’t know if a winner will be announced on November 5, or later. But eventually, there will be a winner, and at whatever point either Donald J. Trump or Kamala Harris steps up to the victor’s podium, their words will set the tone for the coming days and years.

What do the American people want to hear—no matter who is standing there? As a passionate student of our great nation’s remarkable history, I can say they want to hear a message of unity, not division.

Our forty-first President, George Herbert Walker Bush, was not known for his soaring oratory. However, on the night of November 8, 1988, after winning the presidency, he struck an eloquent note as he shifted from campaign to governance. "A campaign," he said, "is a disagreement, and disagreements divide, but an election is a decision, and decisions clear the way for harmony and peace."

Vice President George H. W. Bush waves to a crowd of supporters November 5, 1988. Bush and his running mate Dan Quayle defeated Michael Dukakis in the presidential election on November 8, 1988.

It struck me that the ability to distinguish between the divisive nature of a campaign and the pragmatic unification demanded by governance was a perfect description of the democratic process first executed by the Founders. Bush was saying that he knew people were feeling bruised from the fight, but he hoped they could move on to work together for the good of the nation.

Calls for unity have been a common thread for election night speeches, no matter how divisive our campaigns.

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On November 5, 1952, Dwight Eisenhower learned he’d won the election, and began to make his way to the ballroom where his supporters were gathered. He had just replied to a gracious concession telegram from his opponent, Adlai Stevenson.........

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