WASHINGTON—Early Wednesday morning, Democrats began to leave Kamala Harris’ election night party at Howard University as The New York Times predicted doom.
A campaign official told CBS News that Harris would not be speaking after all. That news was later confirmed by Harris campaign co-chair Cedric Richmond, who said Harris will instead appear on Wednesday “not only to address supporters but to address the nation.” Exit polls and media projections spelled disaster for the Democratic presidential candidate’s chances. The music played on as the crowd began to thin.
Speaking to the Daily Beast around 10:30 p.m., Democratic Rep. Joaquin Castro of Texas was among the guests waiting for results and feeling good.
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“I’m glad that the vice president is ahead in some key states right now,” he told the Daily Beast, naming Pennsylvania and Wisconsin and emphasizing the importance of the blue wall. “We’re hopeful that the night will turn out well.”
But as the night wore on, Harris‘ prospects looked increasingly grim. North Carolina had already been called for Trump, and the other swing states were trending in his direction. The Democrat‘s only remaining path appeared to run through the “blue wall” states, but signs weren’t looking good there either.
Pennsylvania, the biggest prize of them all among the seven swing states where the election will be decided, remained a jump ball with latest returns showing Trump leading Harris 51 percent to 48 percent with 84 percent of the vote counted. It became increasingly clear that Harris had to carry Pennsylvania if she had any chance left.
In Wisconsin, at 12:13 a.m., Trump led 51 percent to 47 percent for Harris with 77 percent of the votes counted.
Castro said he hadn’t recently checked The New York Times election needle. Moments after he spoke to the Daily Beast, it showed the odds of a Trump victory above 85 percent. Then it rose to 90 percent.
Earlier in the night, floodlights put the crowd, stuck in its bubble of hope, on full display. Families and students pumped their fists and jumped up and down to a high-octane soundtrack that included Kendrick Lamar and Panic! At the Disco. CNN played on screens around the venue. The crowd roared whenever the channel flashed to a state Harris was winning. Old friends hugged as they reunited after a long election season. Volunteers, reporters, and MVPs alike munched on Chick-fil-A, which maintained a line out the door through the evening.
The venue itself underscored the history-making moment within reach as it slipped further from reality. The stage was framed by Frederick Douglass Memorial Hall, and the night opened with student performers from the historically Black college. Women in pink and green, the colors of the vice president’s sorority, lined the risers.
As results began to pour in, the music stopped. Some people still appeared excited, but something else was creeping in: doubt, and even dread.
While CNN began to tick off the states that had been called for Trump, guests began to cross their arms and look off into the distance. Others pulled out their phones, scrolling intently. Still others simply sat down on the grass, appearing to settle in.
“It’s a long night,” Castro said.
By midnight, there was little good news for CNN left to show. Audience members exchanged anxious looks. Many began to stream out. Harris hadn’t yet taken the stage, but they had already seen enough.
More than half an hour later, a grim Harris campaign co-chair Cedric Richmond took to the stage, confirming the news Harris would not speak.
“Thank you for all that you have done. Thank you for being here. Thank you for being believing in the promise of America,” he said, assuring supporters, “we still have votes to count. We still have states that have not been called yet. We will continue overnight to fight to make sure that every vote is counted, that every voice has spoken.”
Richmond said Harris will instead appear on Wednesday “not only to address supporters but to address the nation.”
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