Democrats grapple with despair after crushing defeat

The Democratic Party woke up on Wednesday to face what they had most feared for Tuesday’s election in the United States: the resounding victory of Republican Donald Trump and, consequently, the defeat of their candidate, Kamala Harris, who cancelled her planned vote count party at Howard University in the early hours of the morning. The Democrats also lost control of the Senate and now face the very real prospect of Republicans maintaining control of the House of Representatives. The red tide that was anticipated but didn’t materialize in the 2022 midterm elections, finally arrived, and it created a political tsunami.

Harris is scheduled to address her supporters later on Wednesday in Washington, at Howard University, where she studied and where she had planned to appear the previous night, had she won — or if the results had been closer. Now, her only hope is that the remaining undecided seats in the House of Representatives fall in her favor and that the leader of the House Democratic Caucus, Hakeem Jeffries, becomes Speaker of the House, becoming the second most powerful man in Washington — where the U.S. political structure will be dominated by men in the next four years.

The desolation among Democrats was evident throughout the night, as the initial fervent jubilation following the first poll closures on the East Coast gradually shifted to nervousness and then disbelief. Democratic campaign workers at the Yard — the esplanade at the heart of the Howard campus — gritted their teeth. Thousands of students and party supporters had gathered to celebrate what they hoped would be the victory of the first Black woman to be president of the United States, but soon many were making a discreet exit.

A memo from Jen O’Malley Dillon, Harris’ campaign manager, tried to instill optimism as television networks reported that the first swing states — Georgia and North Carolina — were leaning Republican. “We have known all along that our clearest path to 270 electoral votes lies through the Blue Wall states,” she reminded supporters, referring to Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin. She added: “We feel good about what we’re seeing [there].”

However, by that point, the count already indicated that Trump was on track to claim the electoral votes from all three crucial Democratic strongholds. The memo concluded with advice to get some rest, even as the quiet trickle of departures turned into a steady stream. By the time Cedric Richmond, co-director of the Democratic campaign, took to the podium to announce that Harris would not be addressing her supporters that night but would do so on Wednesday instead, the Yard was already half empty.

Harris faced a formidable challenge, which she had to overcome in record time. After securing the Democratic nomination, she ran a solid campaign that energized rank-and-file voters and managed to give the Democrats a fighting chance, despite the grim outlook during the final weeks of Joe Biden’s candidacy, marked by his evident physical decline. Key moments, such as the Democratic National Convention and, most notably, her decisive victory in the debate against Trump in Philadelphia in early September, provided her with a boost that momentarily placed her slightly ahead in the polls. However, in a political climate where voters were clamoring for radical change, she struggled to win over undecided voters and moderate Republicans who were put off by Trump’s personality but not enough to cross party lines.

But Trump did know how to do this. The Republican, despite his previous tenure as president, succeeded in presenting himself to voters as a decisive leader capable of reversing the impact of three years of inflation. His campaign turned the memory of his administration into a “golden age” free of inflation and wars. He also succeeded in downplaying significant controversies, including the January 6 Capitol assault and his history of insults and threats toward political rivals. Water under the bridge.

Polls showed Trump made notable gains with young voters and, particularly, Latino men, 54% of whom voted for him in this election. He also saw more support from Black voters, which rose to 13%, up from 8% in 2020. Among the broader Latino community, his support surged from 32% in 2020 to 45%, according to exit polls from CNN. Women, whom Harris had counted on as a major source of support due to her strong stance on abortion rights, supported her by just 54%.

As the vice president of the deeply unpopular Joe Biden, Harris struggled to position herself as a candidate of change. Nor has she been able to explain her changing stances on key issues, such as fracking, which she condemned in 2019 but supported in 2024.

A pivotal moment came on October 8, when the momentum that once buoyed her campaign had faded from public memory. During an appearance on The View, a show known for being “friendly” toward her, Harris was asked what she would do differently from Biden if elected president. Her response — “there is not a thing that comes to mind” — left her team disheartened and provided the Republican campaign with viral ammunition. Despite her subsequent attempts in later interviews to clarify that her administration would not simply be a continuation of Biden’s presidency, the damage had already been done.

Political strategist Frank Luntz said that until then, Harris was “the best candidate possible.” Afterward, however, he said her performance was “abysmal.” Like Hillary Clinton in 2016, Harris spent more time outlining why Trump should not be president than explaining why she was the right choice for the job.

The polls quickly reflected the shift in public sentiment. As October progressed, Harris’ narrow lead steadily disappeared, and despite a slight rebound in the final days of the campaign, it was not enough. A prestigious poll that had shown her with a three-point advantage in the traditionally Republican state of Iowa turned out to be a mirage.

The Democrats will now begin a period of reflection to determine where exactly they went wrong. The party is already bracing for internal critiques and finger-pointing: debates over whether Biden should have stepped aside sooner, allowing Harris more time to define herself to voters and reduce Trump’s momentum, or whether her choice of running mate should have been Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro instead of Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, a move advised by party leaders to win the key swing state. However, dwelling on past mistakes won’t change the outcome. The challenge for Democrats now is to chart a course forward, or risk fading into political irrelevance for years to come.

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