concession speech

Read Kamala Harris' full concession speech: ‘Time to roll up our sleeves'

By nbc new york staff • published november 6, 2024 • updated on november 6, 2024 at 7:32 pm.

Hours after being dealt a resounding loss, Kamala Harris conceded the presidential election to Donald Trump Wednesday afternoon in a speech to supporters at her alma mater, Howard University.

The vice president gave a brief yet encouraging speech in an effort to lift supporters' spirits, while also giving them a call to action to continue fighting for their beliefs.

Harris concedes before an emotional crowd at her alma mater

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Here is a transcript of what Harris said in her concession speech:

Good afternoon. Thank you all. Thank you. So let me say, and I love you back, and I love you back.

So let me say, my heart is full today. My heart is full today, full of gratitude for the trust you have placed in me, full of love for our country and full of resolve. The outcome of this election is not what we wanted, not what we fought for, not what we voted for, but hear me when I say, hear me when I say, the light of America's promise will always burn bright, as long as we never give up and as long as we keep fighting.

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To my beloved Doug and our family, I love you so very much. To President Biden and Dr. Biden, thank you for your faith and support. To Governor Walz and the Walz family, I know your service to our nation will continue. And to my extraordinary team, to the volunteers who gave so much of themselves. To the poll workers and the local election officials. I thank you. I thank you all.

Look, I am so proud of the race we ran and the way we ran it. Over the 107 days of this campaign, we have been intentional about building community and building coalitions, bringing people together from every walk of life and background, united by love of country, with enthusiasm and joy in our fight for America's future, and we did it with the knowledge that we all have so much more in common than what separates us.

Now, I know folks are feeling and experiencing a range of emotions right now. I get it, but we must accept the results of this election. Earlier today, I spoke with President-elect Trump and congratulated him on his victory. I also told him that we will help him and his team with their transition, and that we will engage in a peaceful transfer of power.

A fundamental principle of American democracy is that when we lose an election, we accept the results. That principle, as much as any other, distinguishes democracy from monarchy or tyranny, and anyone who seeks the public trust, must honor it. At the same time in our nation, we owe loyalty not to a president or a party but to the Constitution of the United States, and loyalty to our conscience and to our God.

My allegiance to all three is why I am here to say, while I concede this election, I do not concede the fight that fueled this campaign.

The fight, the fight for freedom, for opportunity, for fairness and the dignity of all people. A fight for the ideals at the heart of our nation, the ideals that reflect America at our best. That is a fight I will never give up.

I will never give up the fight for a future where Americans can pursue their dreams, ambitions and aspirations. Where the women of America have the freedom to make decisions about their own body and not have their government telling them what to do. We will never give up the fight to protect our schools and our streets from gun violence.

And America, we will never give up the fight for our democracy, for the rule of law, for equal justice, and for the sacred idea that every one of us, no matter who we are or where we start out, has certain fundamental rights and freedoms that must be respected and upheld.

And we will continue to wage this fight in the voting booth, in the courts and in the public square. And we will also wage it in quieter ways: In how we live our lives; by treating one another with kindness and respect; by looking in the face of a stranger and seeing a neighbor; by always using our strength to lift people up to fight for the dignity that all people deserve.

The fight for our freedom will take hard work, but like I always say, we like hard work. Hard work is good work. Hard work can be joyful work. And the fight for our country is always worth it. It is always worth it.

To the young people who are watching. It is OK to feel sad and disappointed, but please know it's going to be OK. On the campaign, I would often say, when we fight, we win. But here's the thing, here's the thing, sometimes the fight takes a while. That doesn't mean we won't win. That doesn't mean we won't win.

The important thing is, don't ever give up. Don't ever give up. Don't ever stop trying to make the world a better place. You have power. You have power. And don't you ever listen when anyone tells you something is impossible because it has never been done before.

You have the capacity to do extraordinary good in the world. And so to everyone who is watching, do not despair. This is not a time to throw up our hands. This is a time to roll up our sleeves.

This is a time to organize, to mobilize and to stay engaged for the sake of freedom and justice and the future that we all know we can build together.

Look, many of you know, I started out as a prosecutor. And throughout my career, I saw people at some of the worst times in their lives. People who had suffered great harm and great pain, and yet found within themselves the strength and the courage and the resolve to take the stand, to take a stand, to fight for justice, to fight for themselves, to fight for others.

So let their courage be our inspiration. Let their determination be our charge.

And I'll close with this. There's an adage an historian once called a law of history, true of every society across the ages. The adage is, "only when it is dark enough can you see the stars." I know many people feel like we are entering a dark time, but for the benefit of us all, I hope that is not the case.

But here's the thing, America, if it is, let us fill the sky with the light of a brilliant, brilliant billion of stars, the light of optimism, of faith, of truth and service.

It's you. And may that work guide us even in the face of setbacks toward the extraordinary promise of the United States of America. I thank you all. May God bless you and may God bless the United States of America. I thank you all.

This article tagged under:

Read and watch Kamala Harris' full concession speech

"while i concede this election, i do not concede the fight that fueled this campaign," harris said., by nbc staff • published november 6, 2024 • updated on november 6, 2024 at 9:33 pm.

Vice President Kamala Harris officially conceded the 2024 presidential election to Donald Trump in a speech Wednesday afternoon. The full remarks she made at her alma mater , Howard University in Washington, D.C., are below.

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So let me say, my heart is full today. My heart is full today. Full of gratitude for the trust you have placed in me, full of love for our country and full of resolve.

The outcome of this election is not what we wanted, not what we fought for, not what we voted for, but hear me when I say, hear me when I say the light of America's promise will always burn bright as long as we never give up and as long as we keep fighting.

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To my beloved Doug and our family, I love you so very much. To President Biden and Dr. Biden, thank you for your faith and support. To Governor Walz and the Walz family, I know your service to our nation will continue. And to my extraordinary team, to the volunteers who gave so much of themselves, to the poll workers and the local election officials, I thank you. I thank you all.

Look, I am so proud of the race we ran and the way we ran it, and the way we ran it. Over the one-hundred-and-seven days of this campaign, we have been intentional about building community and building coalitions. Bringing people together from every walk of life and background, united by love of country with enthusiasm and joy in our fight for America's future. And we did it with the knowledge that we all have so much more in common than what separates us.

Now I know folks are feeling and experiencing a range of emotions right now. I get it. But we must accept the results of this election. Earlier today, I spoke with President-elect Trump and congratulated him on his victory. I also told him that we will help him and his team with their transition and that we will engage in a peaceful transfer of power.

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A fundamental principle of American democracy is that when we lose an election, we accept the results. That principle, as much as any other, distinguishes democracy from monarchy or tyranny, and anyone who seeks the public trust must honor it.

At the same time in our nation, we owe loyalty not to a president or a party but to the Constitution of the United States, and loyalty to our conscience and to our God. My allegiance to all three is why I am here to say while I concede this election, I do not concede the fight that fueled this campaign. The fight for freedom, for opportunity, for fairness and the dignity of all people. A fight for the ideals at the heart of our nation, the ideals that reflect America at our best. That is a fight I will never give up.

I will never give up the fight for a future where Americans can pursue their dreams, ambitions and aspirations. Where the women of America have the freedom to make decisions about their own body and not have their government telling them what to do.

We will never give up the fight to protect our schools and our streets from gun violence. And America, we will never give up the fight for our democracy, for the rule of law, for equal justice and for the sacred idea that every one of us, no matter who we are or where we start out, has certain fundamental rights and freedoms that must be respected and upheld.

And we will continue to wage this fight in the voting booth, in the courts and in the public square. And we will also wage it in quieter ways. In how we live our lives, by treating one another with kindness and respect. By looking in the face of a stranger and seeing a neighbor. By always using our strength to lift people up. To fight for the dignity that all people deserve. The fight for our freedom will take hard work, but like I always say, we like hard work. Hard work is good work, hard work can be joyful work and the fight for our country is always worth it. It is always worth it.

To the young people who are watching, it is OK to feel sad and disappointed, but please know it's gonna be OK. On the campaign I would often say, when we fight we win. But here's the thing. Here's the thing. Sometimes the fight takes a while. That doesn't mean we won't win. That doesn't mean we won't win.

The important thing is don't ever give up. Don't ever give up, don't ever stop trying to make the world a better place. You have power. You have power and don't you ever listen when anyone tells you something is impossible because it has never been done before. You have the capacity to do extraordinary good in the world and so to everyone who is watching: Do not despair.

This is not a time to throw up our hands. This is a time to roll up our sleeves. This is a time to organize, to mobilize and to stay engaged for the sake of freedom and justice and the future that we all know we can build together.

Look many of you know I started out as a prosecutor, and throughout my career I saw people at some of the worst times in their lives. People who had suffered great harm and great pain, and yet found within themselves the strength and the courage and the resolve to take the stand, to take a stand, to fight for justice, to fight for themselves, to fight for others. So let their courage be our inspiration. Let their determination be our charge.

And I'll close with this. There's an adage an historian once called a law of history true of every society across the ages. The adage is, only when it is dark enough can you see the stars. I know many people feel like we are entering a dark time, but for the benefit of us all I hope that is not the case.

But here's the thing. America, if it is, let us fill the sky with the light of a brilliant, brilliant billion of stars. The light of optimism, of faith, of truth and service. And may that work guide us even in the face of setbacks toward the extraordinary promise of the United States of America.

I thank you all. May God bless you and may God bless the United States of America. Thank you all.

This article tagged under:

• 2024 Elections

Read Vice President Kamala Harris’ Full Concession Speech

V ice President Kamala Harris formally conceded in a speech Wednesday afternoon at Howard University in Washington, D.C., where she urged her followers to continue fighting for democracy. Former President Donald Trump will be serving a second term after he was declared the winner of the 2024 presidential election early Wednesday by the Associated Press.

The following transcript was prepared and provided to TIME by Rev , using AI-powered software, and it was reviewed and edited for accuracy by TIME staff.

Good afternoon. Good afternoon. Good—Good afternoon everyone. Good afternoon. Good afternoon, good afternoon. Thank you all.

Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you. So let me say (crowd screams love you), and I love you back and I love you back. So let me say my heart is full today. My heart is full today, full of gratitude for the trust you have placed in me, full of love for our country, and full of resolve. The outcome of this election is not what we wanted, not what we fought for, not what we voted for. But hear me when I say, hear me when I say, the light of America's promise will always burn bright as long as we never give up and as long as we keep fighting. To my beloved Doug and our family, I love you so very much. To President Biden and Dr. Biden, thank you for your faith and support. To Governor Walz and the Walz family, I know your service to our nation will continue. And to my extraordinary team, to the volunteers who gave so much of themselves, to the poll workers and the local election officials I thank you. I thank you all. 

Look, I am so proud of the race we ran. And the way we ran it. Over the 107 days of this campaign, we have been intentional about building community and building coalitions, bringing people together from every walk of life and background, united by love of country with enthusiasm and joy in our fight for America's future. And we did it with the knowledge that we all have so much more in common than what separates us. Now, I know folks are feeling and experiencing a range of emotions right now. I get it, but we must accept the results of this election. Earlier today, I spoke with President-elect Trump and congratulated him on his victory. I also told him that we will help him and his team with their transition and that we will engage in a peaceful transfer of power.

A fundamental principle of American democracy is that when we lose an election, we accept the results. That principle, as much as any other, distinguishes democracy from monarchy or tyranny. And anyone who seeks the public trust must honor it. At the same time, in our nation, we owe loyalty not to a president or a party, but to the Constitution of the United States, and loyalty to our conscience and to our God. My allegiance to all three is why I am here to say, while I concede this election, I do not concede the fight that fueled this campaign—the fight: the fight for freedom, for opportunity, for fairness, and the dignity of all people. A fight for the ideals at the heart of our nation, the ideals that reflect America at our best. That is a fight I will never give up.

I will never give up the fight for a future where Americans can pursue their dreams, ambitions, and aspirations. Where the women of America have the freedom to make decisions about their own body and not have their government telling them what to do. We will never give up the fight to protect our schools and our streets from gun violence. And America we will never give up the fight for our democracy, for the rule of law, for equal justice, and for the sacred idea that every one of us, no matter who we are or where we start out, has certain fundamental rights and freedoms that must be respected and upheld.

And we will continue to wage this fight in the voting booth, in the courts and in the public square. And we will also wage it in quieter ways: in how we live our lives by treating one another with kindness and respect, by looking in the face of a stranger and seeing a neighbor, by always using our strength to lift people up, to fight for the dignity that all people deserve. The fight for our freedom will take hard work. But, like I always say, we like hard work. Hard work is good work. Hard work can be joyful work. And the fight for our country is always worth it. It is always worth it.  To the young people who are watching, it is okay to feel sad and disappointed. But please know it's going to be okay. 

On the campaign, I would often say when we fight, we win. But here's the thing, here's the thing, sometimes the fight takes a while. That doesn't mean we won't win. That doesn't mean we won't win. The important thing is don't ever give up. Don't ever give up. Don't ever stop trying to make the world a better place. You have power. You have power. And don't you ever listen when anyone tells you something is impossible because it has never been done before.

You have the capacity to do extraordinary good in the world. And so to everyone who is watching, do not despair. This is not a time to throw up our hands. This is a time to roll up our sleeves. This is a time to organize, to mobilize, and to stay engaged for the sake of freedom and justice and the future that we all know we can build together. Look, many of you know I started out as a prosecutor and throughout my career I saw people at some of the worst times in their lives.  People who had suffered great harm and great pain, and yet found within themselves the strength and the courage and the resolve to take the stand, to take a stand, to fight for justice, to fight for themselves, to fight for others. So let their courage be our inspiration. Let their determination be our charge. And I'll close with this. There's an adage a historian once called a law of history, true of every society across the ages. The adage is, only when it is dark enough can you see the stars. I know many people feel like we are entering a dark time, but for the benefit of us all, I hope that is not the case. But here's the thing, America, if it is, let us fill the sky with the light of a brilliant, brilliant billion of stars.

The light, the light of optimism, of faith, of truth and service.

And may that work guide us even in the face of setbacks toward the extraordinary promise of the United States of America. I thank you all. Make God bless you. And may God bless the United States of America. I thank you all. 

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Vice President Kamala Harris Concession Speech

Vice President Kamala Harris delivered her concession speech at Howard University , following her loss to Republican opponent Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election.

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Harris Says She Concedes the Election, but Not Her Fight

Her commitment to a peaceful transfer of power was more than President-elect Trump ever offered to President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris after they defeated him in 2020.

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Harris Delivers Concession Speech at Howard University

Vice president kamala harris publicly conceded defeat to president-elect donald j. trump on wednesday..

While I concede this election, I do not concede the fight that fueled this campaign. [applause] The fight, the fight for freedom, for opportunity, for fairness and the dignity of all people. The light of America’s promise will always burn bright — [applause] as long as we never give up and as long as we keep fighting. There’s an adage an historian once called a law of history true of every society across the ages. The adage is: Only when it is dark enough, can you see the stars. I know many people feel like we are entering a dark time. But for the benefit of us all, I hope that is not the case. But here’s the thing, America, if it is, let us fill the sky with the light of a brilliant, brilliant billion of stars. The light, the light of optimism, of faith, of truth and service.

By Nicholas Nehamas and Erica L. Green

Reporting from Howard University

• Nov. 6, 2024

Vice President Kamala Harris formally acknowledged her loss to President-elect Donald J. Trump on Wednesday in a defiant and emotional speech, defending her campaign as a fight for democracy that she would continue, even if not from the Oval Office.

“While I concede this election, I do not concede the fight that fueled this campaign,” Ms. Harris said.

“Hear me when I say, the light of America’s promise will always burn bright,” she added. “As long as we never give up. And as long as we keep fighting.”

Ms. Harris, her voice cracking with emotion at times, made the final speech of her presidential campaign at Howard University, her alma mater, in Washington. The results, still trickling in as Ms. Harris spoke, showed her on track to lose both the national popular vote and the top seven battleground states.

Ms. Harris ran a 107-day campaign under extraordinarily rare circumstances after President Biden dropped out of the race and she ricocheted to the top of the Democratic ticket. But burdened by the legacy of her incumbency, the history of a nation that was reluctant to elect a woman of color, and her unwillingness to articulate a meaningful separation from the unpopular Biden administration, Ms. Harris lost ground among most major groups of voters.

Her 12-minute concession was more than Mr. Trump ever offered to President Biden and Ms. Harris after they defeated him in 2020. To this day, Mr. Trump has not conceded that race, in public or private. Now, he returns to the White House after a resounding win, still technically facing federal charges over his attempts to overturn the election four years ago.

On Wednesday, in what seemed a pointed reminder, Ms. Harris said she had called Mr. Trump earlier in the day to offer her congratulations — but also to promise that the Biden administration would “engage in a peaceful transfer of power.”

“A fundamental principle of American democracy is that when we lose an election, we accept the results,” she said. “That principle, as much as any other, distinguishes democracy from monarchy or tyranny, and anyone who seeks the public trust must honor it.”

Many of her female supporters were crying as they left the campus’s grassy quad, known as the Yard. Against the backdrop of Frederick Douglass Memorial Hall, Ms. Harris used her speech to encourage generations behind her not to be deterred by the outcome of her barrier-breaking campaign.

“Don’t you ever listen when anyone tells you something is impossible because it has never been done before,” said Ms. Harris, the first Black woman and person of South Asian descent to ascend as the nominee of a major political party. “You have the capacity to do extraordinary good in the world. And so to everyone who is watching, do not despair. This is not a time to throw up our hands. This is a time to roll up our sleeves.”

When she delivered her speech on Wednesday, Ms. Harris thanked Mr. Biden, who was watching from the West Wing, as well as her family and her running mate, Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota.

Mr. Walz stood off to the side, grimacing and seeming on the verge of tears. Doug Emhoff, her husband, embraced their daughter, Ella.

Ms. Harris also took a moment to address the young people watching.

“It is OK to feel sad and disappointed, but please know it’s going to be OK,” she said. “On the campaign, I would often say, ‘When we fight, we win.’ But here’s the thing, here’s the thing: Sometimes the fight takes a while. That doesn’t mean we won’t win.”

The crowd of supporters gathered at Howard was far sparser than the one that had awaited her on Tuesday evening for her election night party, hoping to witness a historic victory. Jack Ludd, 79, had missed the watch party because he was tired after his fourth trip to Pennsylvania canvassing for the Harris campaign, but he showed up to hear Ms. Harris concede.

Resting on the seat of his walker as he waited for the vice president, he said he felt “afraid” about the prospect of four more years under Mr. Trump.

“I don’t know what to expect,” said Mr. Ludd, a retired taxi driver from Washington. “I depend on Social Security.”

But he was not entirely surprised by her defeat. On his canvassing trips, Mr. Ludd said, “the buses were almost empty.”

Kadidra Hurst also traveled to Howard on Wednesday to show Ms. Harris her appreciation, although she knew that the crowd would not be as big as Tuesday’s.

“I wanted Kamala to know that I still support her,” Ms. Hurst said. “I think really, we need a message of, what do we do next? And I feel like she gave us that — that we continue to fight we, we keep our foot on the gas.”

Her 5-year-old daughter, Tasmin Hurst, said it was “very good” to see Ms. Harris onstage. She said she was sad about the loss, saying Mr. Trump was “very not a nice man.”

Adriane Lowrie was brought to tears as she talked about seeing Ms. Harris leave the stage one last time. “All that she did to fight,” Ms. Lowrie said, wiping away tears. “It’s just sad, the state of our country is so divided.”

The night before, thousands of people had gathered with high enthusiasm at Howard, watching CNN on giant outdoor screens. They cheered and waved American flags when good news came in for Ms. Harris, like her unsurprising victory in California.

But when the results from the battleground states showed up, the crowd was largely silent as an anchor ticked through Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Georgia and North Carolina — she trailed in all — only celebrating when her soon-to-evaporate lead in Michigan was announced. Later in the evening, the Harris campaign shut off the sound to the television screens and started playing music after a CNN guest remarked that the election felt “more like 2016 than 2020.”

Ms. Harris’s sorority sisters, clad in the pink and green of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, streamed slowly out of the campus. One broke her prayer to decline to speak with a reporter. Just before Ms. Harris officially lost Georgia, the song she chose for her campaign, “Freedom,” by Beyoncé — an ode to the journey of liberation of Black women from slavery — began blaring through loudspeakers.

Jala Dowd, a 22-year-old senior at Howard who voted for Ms. Harris, sat and watched the crowd, reflecting on what Howard taught women like her and Ms. Harris, namely “being yourself, being Black and going into the world being proud of that.”

“I don’t know what the future holds at this point,” Ms. Dowd said. “I think the world is scared of a woman leading the country, let alone a Black woman. That’s just what we face. That’s where history has led us to now.”

Katie Rogers contributed reporting from New York and Zolan Kanno-Youngs from Washington.

Nicholas Nehamas is a Times political reporter covering the presidential campaign of Vice President Kamala Harris. More about Nicholas Nehamas

Erica L. Green is a White House correspondent, covering President Biden and his administration. More about Erica L. Green

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Watch CBS News

Watch Kamala Harris deliver concession speech: "When we lose an election, we accept the results"

By Melissa Quinn

Updated on: November 7, 2024 / 10:40 AM EST / CBS News

Washington — Vice President Kamala Harris conceded the election to President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday, urging her supporters in a speech delivered from her alma mater not to despair, but to continue "the fight that fueled this campaign."

Harris addressed a crowd of supporters, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, from Howard University in Washington, D.C., after she was defeated by Trump in the race for the White House.

"Let me say my heart is full today. My heart is full today, full of gratitude for the trust you have placed in me, full of love for our country, and full of resolve," Harris said. "The outcome of this election was not what we wanted, not what we fought for, not what we voted for, but hear me when I say the light of America's promise will always burn bright as long as we never give up and as long as we keep fighting."

The vice president expressed gratitude to her family, President Biden, first lady Dr. Jill Biden, her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, and her campaign staff. Mr. Biden watched the remarks from the West Wing, the White House said.

"I am so proud of the race we ran and the way we ran it. Over the 107 days of this campaign, we have been intentional about building community and building coalitions, bringing people together from every walk of life and background, united by love of country with enthusiasm and joy in our fight for America's future," Harris said. And we did it with the knowledge that we all have so much more in common than what separates us."

Harris said the results of the election must be accepted and reiterated that she had spoken with Trump and is committed to a peaceful transfer of power.

"A fundamental principle of American democracy is that when we lose an election, we accept the results," she said. "That principle as much as any other distinguishes democracy from monarchy and tyranny, and anyone who seeks the public trust must honor it."

Harris said the nation does not owe loyalty to a president or party, but to the Constitution, "our conscience and to our God." 

"My allegiance to all three is why I am here today — to say while I concede this election, I do not concede the fight that fueled this campaign," she said.

The vice president pledged to continue fighting for democracy, the rule of law and equal justice.

"Sometimes the fight takes a while. That doesn't mean we won't win," she said, delivering an appeal directly to her young supporters.

Harris continued, "Do not despair. This is not a time to throw up our hands. This is a time to roll up our sleeves. This is a time to organize, to mobilize and to stay engaged for the sake of freedom and justice and the future that we all know we can build together."

The vice president's speech came just hours after she called Trump to congratulate him on his win and discussed the "importance of a peaceful transfer of power and being a president for all Americans," a senior aide to Harris said. The vice president, in her role as president of the Senate, will preside over Congress' counting of electoral votes during a joint session on Jan. 6 that will reaffirm Trump's victory.

CBS News projected Wednesday that Harris had secured 222 electoral votes, short of the 291 amassed by Trump, her Republican opponent. Trump surpassed the 270 electoral votes needed to secure the presidency just after 5:30 a.m. ET Wednesday, after locking up the battleground states of Georgia , North Carolina , Pennsylvania , Michigan  and Wisconsin .

The vice president called Trump to congratulate him on his win and discussed the "importance of a peaceful transfer of power and being a president for all Americans," a senior aide to Harris said. The vice president, in her role as president of the Senate, will preside over Congress' counting of electoral votes during a joint session on Jan. 6 that will reaffirm Trump's victory.

Steven Cheung, spokesman for the Trump campaign, said that during the call, the president-elect "acknowledged Vice President Harris on her strength, professionalism, and tenacity throughout the campaign, and both leaders agreed on the importance of unifying the country."

Mr. Biden also spoke with Harris by phone and congratulated her on a "historic campaign," the White House said. He also talked to Trump and "expressed his commitment to ensuring a smooth transition and emphasized the importance of working to bring the country together."

Harris was expected to address supporters from Howard, the historically Black college where she graduated in 1986, on election night, but never made it to her alma mater as the results came rolling in. Instead, campaign co-chair Cedric Richmond sent the assembled crowd home and said Harris would speak on Wednesday.

Election Day on Nov. 5 capped a chaotic and historic presidential election cycle that saw two assassination attempts against Trump and was roiled by Mr. Biden's sudden announcement in July that he would exit the race following a disastrous debate performance in late June.

Harris swiftly announced her own candidacy for the White House, and Democrats quickly coalesced around her as their pick to take on Trump. Her nomination was solidified at the Democratic National Committee in Chicago in August, where Harris made history as the first woman of color to top a major party ticket.

• Howard University
• Kamala Harris
• Democratic Party
• 2024 Elections
• Washington D.C.

Melissa Quinn is a politics reporter for CBSNews.com. She has written for outlets including the Washington Examiner, Daily Signal and Alexandria Times. Melissa covers U.S. politics, with a focus on the Supreme Court and federal courts.

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