Kamala Harris won’t speak after election loss, supporters’ mood sour

SAN FRANCISCO – Vice President Kamala Harris is expected to address the nation on Wednesday, a day after she lost the presidential election to Donald Trump.

She did not take the stage at a party Tuesday night at her alma mater, Howard University in Washington, D.C.

Campaign spokesman Cedric Richmond explained to the crowd that Harris did not want to speak immediately so that every vote could be counted.

He promised Harris he would return to the podium when the vote was final, even though Trump and the polls had already declared him the winner.

Meanwhile, the mood of her supporters was soured as they hoped to see the first woman of color from the San Francisco Bay Area become president.

“I feel terrible, absolutely terrible,” said Jessica Reed, who voted for Vice President Kamala Harris and attended the party at Manny’s restaurant in San Francisco. “This is the worst. Dobbs. January 6. It’s like nothing matters. Like we don’t matter. My children don’t matter.”

Andie Leandro of Walnut Creek fell asleep feeling defeated and when she woke up, she said she felt “depressed, sad and anxious.”

“I’m not looking forward to the next four years,” Leandro said. “He has already said that he will be a dictator from the very beginning.”

Republicans, of course, were pleased with the result.

“I believe Donald Trump will move us forward toward a better economy for all Americans,” GOP supporter K. Kadin True said at a party in Pleasant Hill. “That’s what worries me. Less money is spent on gas and taxes. I care about what’s in my wallet.”

Trump earned 277 electoral votes after winning critical swing states such as Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Georgia and North Carolina.

To win the presidential election, only 270 votes are needed.

By Wednesday morning, Harris had won 224 electoral votes, with results still outstanding in the swing states of Michigan, Nevada and Arizona.

Trump’s victory over Harris, the first woman of color to lead a major party ticket, marks the second time he has defeated a female opponent in a general election.

Harris rose to the top of the list after Biden dropped out of the race amid concerns about his advanced age.

Despite the initial surge of energy around her campaign, she has struggled under a tight deadline to convince disillusioned voters that she represents a shift from an unpopular administration.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.