Current:Home > FinanceDemocrats hoped Harris would rescue them. On Wednesday, she will reckon with her loss -Wealth Axis Pro
Democrats hoped Harris would rescue them. On Wednesday, she will reckon with her loss
View
Date:2025-04-21 15:00:15
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! (554)
Related
- Current, future North Carolina governor’s challenge of power
- Haitians in Ohio find solidarity at church after chaotic week of false pet-eating claims
- A Houston man broke into the pub that fired him. Then he got stuck in a grease vent.
- Tropical storm warning is issued for parts of the Carolinas
- In ‘Nickel Boys,’ striving for a new way to see
- Long before gay marriage was popular, Kamala Harris was at the forefront of the equal rights battle
- Hailey Bieber's Dad Stephen Baldwin Describes Her and Justin Bieber's Baby Boy Jack
- Four Downs and a Bracket: Billy Napier era at Florida nears end with boosters ready to pay buyout
- At site of suspected mass killings, Syrians recall horrors, hope for answers
- Authorities arrest a relative of the King of Jordan and 3 others for $1M insider-trading plot
Ranking
- How to watch the 'Blue Bloods' Season 14 finale: Final episode premiere date, cast
- When are the 2024 Emmy Awards? Date, start time, nominees, where to watch and stream
- Weekend progress made against Southern California wildfires
- Tropical storm warning is issued for parts of the Carolinas
- Can Bill Belichick turn North Carolina into a winner? At 72, he's chasing one last high
- Justin Jefferson injury update: Vikings WR 'hopefully' day-to-day following quad injury
- NASCAR at Watkins Glen: Start time, TV, live stream, lineup for 2024 playoff race
- ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’ is No. 1 again; conservative doc ‘Am I Racist’ cracks box office top 5
Recommendation
South Korean president's party divided over defiant martial law speech
Texas QB Quinn Ewers exits with injury. Arch Manning steps in against Texas-San Antonio
Florida State's fall to 0-3 has Mike Norvell's team leading college football's Week 3 Misery Index
Authorities arrest a relative of the King of Jordan and 3 others for $1M insider-trading plot
North Carolina trustees approve Bill Belichick’s deal ahead of introductory news conference
Days of preparation and one final warning. How Kamala Harris got ready for her big debate moment
John Oliver Curses Out Emmy Awards on Live TV While Paying Tribute to Dead Dog
Tua Tagovailoa 'has no plans to retire' from NFL after latest concussion, per report