Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign did not admit defeat even as Donald Trump took the stage to declare victory in the presidential election Wednesday morning.

Harris planned to address her supporters and the nation Wednesday at Howard University in Washington, D.C., the site of her planned election night party.

Late Tuesday night, his campaign sought to allay fears over the weak early results, reminding Democrats in a memo that “the closeness of the race is exactly what we were preparing for.”

The memo, sent by Harris campaign manager Jen O’Malley Dillon, noted: “As we continue to see data pouring in from Sun Belt states, we have known all along that our clearest path to 270 Electoral votes pass through the Blue Wall States. And we are happy with what we see.

The campaign has focused on higher-than-expected turnout on Election Day in Philadelphia, as well as the fact that ballots have yet to be counted in Democratic strongholds like Detroit and Texas counties. Milwaukee and Dane, Wisconsin. Dillon’s memo urges supporters to “finish what we have before us tonight, get some sleep, and prepare to finish strong tomorrow.”

The campaign said Harris would address the country later Wednesday.

“We still have votes to count. We still have states that have not yet been called. We will continue overnight to fight to ensure that every vote is counted, that every voice is expressed,” said Cedric Richmond, Harris’ campaign co-chair. “So you won’t hear from the vice president tonight, but you will hear from her tomorrow.” Richmond said Harris would return to Howard on Wednesday “not only to address her supporters, but to address the nation.”

News of the memo came as Harris’ election night supporters began quietly filing out of the Howard University courtyard just before midnight Tuesday.

“I’m still hopeful, but I’m a little disappointed that so many people voted for someone who doesn’t seem to care about anyone,” said Valda Johnson, 59, a Democratic voter from North Carolina. Virginia.

“It’s exhausting and it makes me feel like our country hasn’t changed much,” she said. “I just think we’re still not ready for a woman to lead the country, and I think it’s really gender discrimination. She is much more qualified. She has the experience.

While millions of votes still remain to be counted, including in swing states like In Michigan and Wisconsin, the race appears to be tilting in favor of Republican candidate Donald Trump with his victories in the key battlegrounds of North Carolina, Georgia and Pennsylvania. The former president also led early returns to the Rust Belt shortly after midnight.

Harris did not make an appearance at the party and her campaign was mostly quiet as votes poured in.

Johnson, a Howard alumna like Harris, left the watch party because she didn’t think the race would be decided Tuesday night.

“I think people don’t think it’s going to end tonight. I think you’ll have to count the hours after midnight,” Johnson said. “There won’t be the party that maybe they thought would happen tonight.”

Princess Charles, a 26-year-old who works at a political firm in Washington, D.C., said the early results reminded her more of the 2016 election, when Trump handily won a race decided on election night. election.

“I think in 2020, after the first blow, we got smarter and we didn’t undermine his campaign,” she said. “It is unfortunate, however, how easily people are swayed by stupidity, propaganda, reality show tactics and not the reality people actually face.”

Earlier, the candidate made her final pitch to voters in a series of radio interviews on Tuesday.

“I think it’s an inflection point,” Harris said a radio host in Atlanta. “This is the moment when we have two very different visions for the future of our nation. And mine is focused on progress. Mine focuses on investing in the ambitions, aspirations and dreams of the American people.

Polls show the presidential race between Harris, a Democrat, and Republican former President Donald Trump is close. Both candidates and their surrogates focused their efforts on a handful of Swing States it will determine who enters the White House next year.

Harris’ campaign is hosting an election watch party at Howard University, her alma mater, in Washington, DC.

“The first position I ran for was freshman class representative at Howard University, and returning tonight to Howard University, my beloved alma mater, and being able to, I hope, recognizing this day for what it is, it really comes full circle for me,” the candidate said Tuesday.

Harris has often spoken of important role the historically black college played a role in her life, including her decision to become a lawyer.

How will students vote? Swing State poll shows big gap between Harris and Trump

As the results began to come in, the party at Howard was underway, with the crowd watching the returns on giant projectors and sometimes dancing while a DJ played hits from artists like Beyoncé, Megan Thee Stallion and Michael Jackson – although there was a big boo from the audience. crowd when CNN called Texas for Donald Trump just after polls closed in that state.

As he nervously checked Georgia election updates, Washington DC’s Mark Long said he was “very excited” to be there to support Harris after knocking on doors for her.

“It’s the 152nd anniversary of the first woman to vote in America, and she was arrested for it. Whoever wins tonight will be sworn in on the federal Martin Luther King Day. I don’t think I serve a God who would do so much harm in a time like this,” he said.

The 58-year-old lived in Los Angeles for a few years and said he admired Harris from his tenure as Bay Area district attorney and California attorney general. “I always respected his principles, fighting for the little guy. You always felt like you had an internal champion in her,” he said. “I really know I’m going to witness history,” Long said.

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An Oakland native, Harris has already made history as the first woman of color to serve as vice president and hopes to become the nation’s first female president.

Even though she was of a Jamaican father and an Indian mother, Harris largely avoided talking about identity politics on the campaign trail, choosing instead to focus on kitchen issue issues like the economy, housing costs and reproductive freedom.

She spoke often during the campaign about growing up in a middle-class family, her mother’s enthusiasm about buying a house after saving for years, and working summer jobs at McDonald’s to earn pocket money.

Harris worked as a prosecutor in Alameda County and San Francisco before winning election as San Francisco District Attorney in 2003. She later won elections as California attorney general and U.S. senator before to become President Joe Biden’s vice president in 2021.

Harris has been criticized for failing to take strong stances on polarizing issues or changing her tone. For example, she opposed to legalization recreational marijuana in 2010, but supported it nearly a decade later. She also took heat from communities of color for dubbing herself California’s ‘best cop’ and later presented herself as a reformer.

Harris got a late start in the presidential race after Biden resigned in July following a disastrous debate against Trump and concerns about Biden’s ability to beat him.

Biden withdrew from the race on July 21 and immediately endorsed Harris, allowing her to quickly consolidate support from other Democrats.

His elevation to the top of the list was greeted with relief and hope by many in the party, especially young voters. She received a historic fundraising boost and Trump was largely surpassed this election cycle, even though polls show the race is virtually tied in a handful of crucial swing states.