Current:Home > ContactDemocrats hoped Harris would rescue them. On Wednesday, she will reckon with her loss -Elevate Capital Network
Democrats hoped Harris would rescue them. On Wednesday, she will reckon with her loss
View
Date:2025-04-13 03:35:29
WASHINGTON (AP) — Once viewed as a potential savior for the Democratic Party after Joe Biden ‘s reelection campaign stalled, Kamala Harris and her supporters are reckoning with a profound rejection by American voters in this year’s presidential election.
She is trailing in every battleground state to Donald Trump, a man she described as an existential danger to the country’s foundational institutions. And Trump appears on track to win the popular vote for the first time in his three campaigns for the White House — even after two impeachments, felony convictions and an attempt to overturn his previous election loss.
Harris has not yet conceded her loss. She’ll deliver a concession speech Wednesday at 4 p.m., her office announced. She’ll speak at Howard University, her alma mater in Washington, where her supporters watched returns Tuesday night before being sent home after midnight as Trump pulled ahead in battleground states. Her campaign did not disclose any plans to speak to Trump.
The outcome is particularly bitter for Harris because, as the sitting vice president, she is expected to oversee Congress’ ceremonial certification of the election.
It’s the same role that Mike Pence played four years ago, when Trump directed his supporters to march on the U.S. Capitol. Although critics said the violent insurrection crystallized Trump’s threat to American democracy, that ultimately did not dissuade voters from electing him again.
Harris became the Democratic candidate after Biden, who was already struggling to convince voters that he could serve as president until he was 86 years old, stumbled badly in his June 27 debate with Trump.
He dropped out of the race on July 21 and endorsed his vice president, who swiftly unified the Democratic Party around her candidacy.
Harris faced steep odds from the beginning. She inherited Biden’s political operation with just 107 days until the end of the election, and she faced a restless electorate that was eager for change.
Although Harris pitched “a new way forward,” she struggled to meaningfully differentiate herself from the unpopular sitting president. She also had limited time to introduce herself to skeptical voters, who never cast a ballot for her in a presidential primary.
Democrats now face the prospect of picking up the pieces during a second Trump presidency, and it’s unclear what role Harris will play in her party’s future.
veryGood! (78725)
Related
- New Orleans mayor’s former bodyguard making first court appearance after July indictment
- Michigan defensive line coach Greg Scruggs suspended indefinitely after OWI arrest
- Iowa officer fatally shoots a man armed with two knives after he ran at police
- Telehealth websites promise cure for male menopause despite FDA ban on off-label ads
- Illinois Gov. Pritzker calls for sheriff to resign after Sonya Massey shooting
- In images: New England’s ‘Town Meeting’ tradition gives people a direct role in local democracy
- How a Maine 8-year-old inadvertently became a fashion trendsetter at his school
- Watch Rob Kardashian's Sweet Birthday Tribute From Khloe Kardashian's Kids True and Tatum Thompson
- Former Milwaukee hotel workers charged with murder after video shows them holding down Black man
- When is the 2024 NIT? How to watch secondary men's college basketball tournament
Ranking
- Sonya Massey's father decries possible release of former deputy charged with her death
- In the ‘Armpit of the Universe,’ a Window Into the Persistent Inequities of Environmental Policy
- NASCAR Bristol race March 2024: Start time, TV, streaming, lineup for Food City 500
- Vanessa Hudgens's Latest Pregnancy Style Shows She Is Ready for Spring
- 3 years after the NFL added a 17th game, the push for an 18th gets stronger
- Kevin Harlan loses his mind as confetti falls prematurely during Atlantic-10 title game
- Supreme Court to hear free speech case over government pressure on social media sites to remove content
- AP PHOTOS: Boston celebrates St. Patrick’s Day; Biden holds White House brunch with Irish leader
Recommendation
John Galliano out at Maison Margiela, capping year of fashion designer musical chairs
Florida center Micah Handlogten breaks leg in SEC championship game, stretchered off court
Keenan Allen said he told Chargers a pay cut was 'not happening' before trade to Bears
First charter flight with US citizens fleeing Haiti lands in Miami
Jorge Ramos reveals his final day with 'Noticiero Univision': 'It's been quite a ride'
Kristen Stewart responds to critics of risqué Rolling Stone cover: 'It's a little ironic'
Overnight shooting kills 2 and wounds 5 in Washington, D.C., police say
3 dead in Philadelphia suburbs shootings that prompted shelter-in-place orders