Vice President Kamala Harris’ watchdog group quickly went “silent” in the final hour of Election Day as former President Donald Trump captured the first swing state of the night.
Supporters who gathered at Harris’ alma mater at Howard University in Washington, D.C., appeared increasingly despondent as votes for the Republican candidate piled up on the big screens.
And after his campaign co-chairman Cedric Richmond took the stage to tell Democrats that their presidential candidate would not speak, many appeared to give up on the cause altogether and go home.
A DJ had blasted party music while Democrats watched a silent CNN on giant screens. The volume only appeared on televisions to announce Harris’ victories: Washington, Hawaii and then Virginia.
The DJ playlist was playing again as John King returned to the screen to report how Harris’ path had narrowed. Some of Harris’ supporters were seen hugging each other, as Trump’s victory looked increasingly certain.
The scenes were replicated across the country at watch parties across the United States, and even at a “Democrats Abroad” meeting in London, United Kingdom.
Supporters of Vice President Kamala Harris react to election results that show the Democrat falling behind Republican former President Donald Trump. Harris supporters gathered at her alma mater, Howard University, in Washington, DC.
A flag is left at Kamala Harris’ election night party Tuesday as she heads toward defeat.
Supporters of Vice President Kamala Harris sit in the Howard University quad and watch as election results point to a possible victory for Donald Trump.
A Kamala Harris supporter cries as she watches the votes roll in for Donald Trump at an election party in San Francisco.
Betting markets and The New York Times election needle predicted a Trump victory, while Harris campaign manager Jen O’Malley Dillon insisted that a path to victory through Trump’s “blue wall” was still possible. Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan.
But as midnight approached, North Carolina slipped away from Harris, a state that President Joe Biden narrowly lost to Trump. And as partisans abandoned Howard University’s watchdog party, the Republican candidate also claimed Georgia.
“What we do know is that this race will not come into focus until the early hours of the morning,” O’Malley Dillon wrote in a memo, obtained by DailyMail.com.
“This is what we were created to do, so let’s finish what’s in front of us tonight, get some sleep, and get ready to close strong tomorrow.”
Harris’ campaign said that in Pennsylvania, the biggest prize of the night, they exceeded turnout expectations in Philadelphia and in the early vote count in Bucks County.
In Michigan, Harris’ campaign said there were still outstanding votes from Detroit, a predominantly blue area, and in Wisconsin there were still outstanding votes to be counted in Dane and Milwaukee counties.
Complete results from Wisconsin, the campaign said, would not be available until 3 a.m. and 5 a.m. Wednesday.
The campaign also noted that Arizona and Nevada could still give the Democrat a boost.
“We’ve been saying for weeks that this race might not be called tonight. Those of you who were around in 2020 know this well: it takes time for every vote to be counted, and every vote will be counted,” O’Malley Dillon said.
‘This is how our system works. What we do know is that this race will not focus until the early hours of the morning.
Dejected Democrats at watch party in Atlanta, Georgia. Pollsters predict second term as POTUS for Donald Trump
A sombre atmosphere at a venue hosting a watch party for Democrats living abroad in London, UK
Vice President Kamala Harris participated in a phone bank early Tuesday at the Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington, DC. He spent election night at his residence at the Naval Observatory.
One big difference between 2024 and 2020 is that fewer Democratic-leaning voters used mail-in ballots and some states processed them faster.
Four years ago, that meant Trump’s votes were often counted first (as his supporters voted in person) and Biden’s votes were counted last.
This year it appears there are still Harris and Trump votes that need to be counted, so the Harris campaign cannot count on large batches of outstanding votes that will put her over the edge.
At his election night party, at his alma mater of Howard, the initial excitement in the air turned to fear.
One bright spot was when the jumbotron on the university quad played the victory speech of Democrat Angela Alsobrooks, who won Maryland’s open Senate seat over the state’s former Republican governor, Larry Hogan.
As midnight approached, her supporters began to leave campus, as there was no sign of Harris addressing the audience.
Harris remained at his residence at the Naval Observatory.