Kamala Harris concedes defeat to Donald Trump in presidential election
Vice President Kamala Harris implored supporters to “not despair” and continue fighting for a better America in a short concession speech Wednesday after losing the election to Republican former president Donald Trump.
“This is not a time to throw up our hands, this is a time to roll up our sleeves,” Harris told a crowd of supporters at Howard University, her alma mater and a historically Black university that was also the site of her deflated election night watch party the previous evening.
Harris thanked her team for a hard fought campaign that spanned just over three months and centered around an efforts to build community that focused on a shared love of the country.
“My heart is full today,” Harris began. “Full of gratitude for the trust you have placed in me, full of love for our country and full of resolve.”
Harris did not appear at her event Tuesday night as returns worsened for her campaign and the mood among her supports quickly turned from hopeful to distressed.
The Associated Press called Wisconsin for Trump at 5:34 a.m. Eastern Time, pushing him past the necessary 270 electoral votes to claim the White House.
In her speech, Harris noted the importance of a peaceful transfer of power as a distinguishing feature of democracy, compared to tyranny.
“In our nation we owe loyalty not to a president or a party but to the Constitution of the United States,” Harris said.
She did not make a direct mention of the last presidential transfer which was interrupted by rioters who stormed the Capitol, spurred on by Trump, while Congress attempted to certify Biden’s win over Trump.
It was a decisive defeat for the Harris campaign, which by Wednesday morning had lost the key battleground states of Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Georgia and North Carolina.
Harris was trailing in the popular vote as well as in three other swing states: Nevada, Arizona and Michigan, while ballots in those and other states continue to be counted.
Trump’s battleground state victories, particularly in the “blue wall” states of Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, shattered any hope the Harris campaign had late Tuesday night of holding out for victory.
On Wednesday, Harris called Trump to concede and congratulate him on his victory, the president-elect’s campaign reported.
“President Trump acknowledged Vice President Harris on her strength, professionalism, and tenacity throughout the campaign, and both leaders agreed on the importance of unifying the country,” said Steven Cheung, Trump’s campaign communications director.
Going into Election Day, polling showed support for Harris and Trump was evenly split. Voters remained sharply divided going into the consequential elections with Democrats making the case that the former president was unfit for office and a threat to democracy. Republicans largely cited immigration and the economy in their support for Trump.
But results showed Harris severely underperforming in almost every state compared to Joe Biden’s 2020 campaign. Election forecasters say typically, late-arriving mail ballots favor Democratic candidates, but the gap became insurmountable for Harris in several battleground states.
Nationally, there were fewer mail-ballots compared to the 2020 election – which happened in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic – and ballots were counted faster in many states this time.
The map for Trump’s stunning political comeback looked nearly identical to his first presidential victory in 2016.
Trump called his victory “an unprecedented and powerful mandate” and said he’s “going to help our country heal” in remarks to supporters in West Palm Beach early Wednesday.
The 78-year-old Republican will become the first president in more than 130 years to win non-consecutive terms. Trump will also be the first convicted felon to win the White House, though his victory will likely give him new legal protections in four separate criminal cases against him.
Harris’ remarkably short presidential campaign began after Democrats forced Biden from the ticket following a disastrous June debate performance against Trump. Biden dropped out of the race and endorsed Harris in July. A native Californian who served as San Francisco’s district attorney and the attorney general, voters elected Harris to represent the state as a senator beginning in 2017. Shortly after, Harris ran for President in the 2020 race but she dropped out before primary voting began.
Following Biden’s decision to drop out of the race in July, Trump pivoted to attacking Harris, criticizing her record on immigration and tying her to inflation that took place under Biden’s administration.
On Wednesday, Biden separately spoke with both Harris and Trump. The president congratulated Harris on her historic campaign and Trump on his victory. He invited Trump to meet in the White House and expressed the importance of uniting the country.
Biden plans to address the nation on Thursday and discuss the transition.
This story was originally published November 6, 2024 at 12:38 PM with the headline "Kamala Harris concedes defeat to Donald Trump in presidential election."
