WASHINGTON, DC — As polls across the country began to close Tuesday evening, thousands of supporters of Vice President Kamala Harris gathered at Howard University in Washington.

But as the clock ticked to 11 p.m. ET and prognosticators began predicting a Donald Trump victory, some Harris supporters at her watchdog group in Washington, D.C., went home.

Those still there after midnight emptied after a campaign official announced that Harris would not speak at her party.

Cedric Richmond, co-chairman of the Harris campaign, said Harris will continue to monitor the votes and will return to Howard University tomorrow to address the nation.

While some party attendees remained hopeful that Harris could still win, others were less optimistic. But no one expected a final result tonight.

“I’m anxious — not necessarily nervous,” Paul Sadler said as he and Lane Eskridge walked out. “I’m still hopeful,” Eskridge added.

“It’s still possible (for Harris),” Sadler said. “There’s still time. There are still plenty of votes to come from key battleground states.”

Another man, who identified himself as Ben, described his mood as “tired, exhausted, pretty frustrated” as he walked out. “But I still feel like Kamala could win.”

Others agreed. “It’s starting to get a little dark,” Washington resident Malcolm Magee said as he drove home. “A little worried is the best description.”

Kelsey Moss, who was heading toward the exit alongside Magee, noted that she had work in the morning. “I’m worried, but optimistic,” she said. “We’ll come back tomorrow.”

Moss said she would go home to sleep; Magee said he would turn on the television to watch the results when he arrived. “I’ll probably have a little cocktail,” he said. “I don’t think I’ll sleep very well.”

At the start of Harris’ party, the crowd was excited

Early in the night, cell service was spotty and the massive screens surrounding the Yard rarely switched to CNN to offer updates.

Instead, the crowd danced and sang. A live DJ played music and Howard Performing Arts Clubs performed. “Personally, I think it will be a landslide and we will get a result (tonight),” said Kerry Wilson, who voted in Maryland last week.

Harris is not expected to make an appearance until late tonight, when she will declare victory, concede or — as President Joe Biden did in 2020, when the race was too close to call — remind voters “what ‘is not finished before each vote. is counted.

In the final hours before polls across the country closed, Harris spent her afternoon making a final address to voters on the airwaves. She called radio shows from Philadelphia and Raleigh to Phoenix and Las Vegas, encouraging voters to go to the polls.

“During the day, I’m going to — today, all day — talk to people and remind them to go vote,” Harris told the “Big K Morning Show” in Pittsburgh Tuesday morning.

As of midday Tuesday, Harris’ campaign said she also taped appearances on Power 99 in Philadelphia, “The Big Tigger Morning Show” in Atlanta and Foxy 107.2 in Raleigh, North Carolina. Later that day, she performed in shows on the battlefields of Arizona, Nevada, and Wisconsin.

On her Pittsburgh radio show, Harris said she would have dinner with her family — a “tradition,” she said — before heading to Howard University in Washington, where her campaign is hosting the tonight’s watch party.

Due to the proximity of polling stations, results were not expected on election night. Polls have shown razor-thin margins in several battleground states. Nate Silver’s election predictions carried out 80,000 simulations in the early hours of election day; Harris won 50.015% of the time. FiveThirtyEight Survey Aggregator shows Trump ahead in three swing states, Harris ahead in two, and tied in two — and the margin is no more than 2 percentage points in any of them.

More than 78 million Americans voted before Election Day, and 35% of them were Republicans — marking a significant increase in GOP early voting compared to previous cycles.

On Tuesday afternoon, Harris supporters expressed confidence in her ability to outperform the polls. “I feel good,” said Mark Gilbert, a former U.S. ambassador and Donor Harris. “The first reporting states will tell us a lot. I believe (Harris) wins most, if not all, swing states – and outperforms everywhere else.

In Howard, where some attendees began lining up early Tuesday, a metal fence surrounds the perimeter and a heavy police presence is present. University classes took place remotely on Monday; Tuesday, all classes were canceled.

Tuesday evening, when the campus’s central courtyard filled with campaign supporters, volunteers and staff, attendees said they were hopeful about Harris’ chances.

“We’re all, obviously, anxious and nervous, but we’re excited for her,” said Washington resident James Thompson. “Let’s just say we hope Vice President Harris is the next president of the United States.”

Howard Law School graduate Kayla Hill-Jones said Harris’ rise to the top of the Democratic ticket has brought “a new energy” to the party.

“Honestly, when Biden was the candidate, I wasn’t as excited and I didn’t have as much energy behind the Democratic Party,” Hill-Jones said. “Seeing the change and seeing her be authentically herself, even in the political realm, I think it’s very inspiring.”