By D. Kevin McNeir
Special to the AFRO
Early on Election Day 2024, held Nov. 5, Vice President Kamala Harris did what all candidates must do when they reached the end of the campaign – she waited anxiously – remaining “cautiously optimistic,” according to her staff, as millions of votes were submitted.
Later, as polls around the country closed, thousands of supporters for Harris, including campaign volunteers, family members, friends and members of the media, assembled on the historic “yard” of Howard University. Most were poised to rejoice in Harris’ victory as an air of nervous excitement punctuated the evening air. Harris was returning to her alma mater, a historically Black institution, to watch for election results. Some attendees exchanged high-fives while others were engaged in anxious conversation with friends or former classmates.
As the atmosphere became quiet, a local DJ played a variety of favorite tunes to keep the energy flowing and entertain the anxious crowd. But the exuberance slowly began to fade as Harris’ opponent took an early lead that he sustained into the early morning hours of Nov. 6, when the Associated Press and media organizations across the country began to call in his 277 electoral votes. Only 270 were needed to clinch the presidency.
The crowd didn’t hear words from Harris after the defeat, instead, former Congressman Cedric Richmond (D-La.), currently serving as senior advisor to the Democratic National Committee, addressed the crowd on Harris’ behalf.
Around 4 p.m. on Nov. 6, the vice president returned to the spotlight to deliver her concession speech.
“My heart is full today,” Harris said. “Full of gratitude for the trust you have placed in me, full of love for our country and full of resolve. The outcome of this election is not what we wanted, not what we fought for, not what we voted for. But hear me when I say…the light of America’s promise will always burn bright. As long as we never give up, and as long as we keep fighting.”
“I am so proud of the race we ran and the way we ran it and the way we ran it,” she said. “Over the 107 days of this campaign, we have been intentional about building community and building coalitions, bringing people together from every walk of life and background, united by love of country with enthusiasm and joy in our fight for America’s future. And we did it with the knowledge that we all have so much more in common than what separates us.”
Howard alumnae Neka Duckett-Randolph, a member of the class of 2017, is a Chicago native based in Baltimore. She said she feels overwhelmed, disappointed and surprised by the results.
“When Harris entered the race, we felt like there was new life, as more people registered to vote and more folks came out as volunteers,” she said. “We could see light at the end of the tunnel and momentum began to build even though it was a shortened campaign. People became hopeful and believed she could win as Election Day approached.
“Now that it’s over, I am still in shock. We were prepared for this possible scenario but I am still shocked that Americans would vote for a man who is a sexual predator and a convicted felon and give him both the electoral and popular votes. We have to regroup and rally our community knowing that you can’t solve all of the problems with one election. Still, it’s disappointing to realize that racism and misogyny are still so prevalent in America,” Duckett-Randolph said.
Jerry White, 61, of the Bronx, New York, said while he was disappointed that his candidate of choice, Harris, did not win, he was even more disappointed that many people he knew chose not to vote at all.
“Despite this being one of the most critical elections in my lifetime, I still know a lot of people who told me that they didn’t vote at all. That’s troubling because everything in America either revolves around or is somehow connected to politics – at least the policies that politicians endorse which, with a majority decision, become the rules that govern our lives. With Trump back in office, I don’t know what I’ll do next. Maybe I should learn how to pick cotton.”
Cyril Mayes, 64, who lives in a suburb of Atlanta, said he was shocked to hear comments from several Black male ministers in his state who compared Harris to “the devil” because of her views on abortion and transgender rights and advised their congregations to vote for Trump.
“I was privy to several barbershop chats with other brothers and I think more Black men realized that Harris was the better candidate,” Mayes said. “But there was a lot of misinformation floating around during this election cycle. She ran a very impressive race, but the Republicans simply did a better job on selling the issues that seemed to matter to more Americans, like the economy and immigration.”
Juan Carter, 26, a D.C. native now living in Silver Spring, Md, admitted that he was not surprised that Harris was defeated.
“Look, America simply is not ready for a woman to run the country as president,” Carter said. “Many Americans still have a problem with the notion of female empowerment and then with Harris also being a woman of color, I couldn’t see it happening even though I supported and voted for her.”
Carter said that “racism still exists in America, as does sexism and with Trump being on the scene since 2016, our once hidden prejudices have returned to the forefront.”
“It’s like people have been given the green light to be vocal about their dislike others simply because they’re different,” he said.
In the wee hours of Wednesday, Nov. 6, former president Donald Trump took the podium in West Palm Beach, Fla. As his supporters in the city’s convention center chanted “USA, USA,” Trump basked in the glory with comments that reiterated the promises he has made to Americans throughout his appearances on the campaign trail. He also noted that the Republicans had regained control of the Senate and could even secure the House when the final numbers are posted in the coming days.
“This is the greatest political movement of all time and we will reach a new level of importance and help our country heal,” Trump said. “I will fight for every citizen and will not rest until we deliver the prosperous America you deserve. We’re going to fix everything for our country,” he said.
In exit polls collected for NBC News Decision 2024, the behavior of voters by age, sex by race and religion were illuminating, illustrating how Trump secured such a surprisingly easy victory.
Using information collected in ten different states, NBC News, in conjunction with a group of news organizations, polled voters to dig into the data of how Americans voted in the 2024 election.
The results show that 57 percent of all White voters placed a ballot for Trump, compared to 41 percent of all White voters who voted Democrat. More specifically, 60 percent of White men and 53 percent of White women selected Trump as the next leader. As for the Latino population, 55 percent of Latino men voted for Trump in addition to 38 percent of Latino women.
Black men, Black women and Black Latino women all led the charge for Harris to take the presidency. Roughly 77 percent of Black men voted for Harris, with 21 percent casting a ballot for Trump. Harris had 91 percent of Black women show support in her favor, with 7 percent voting for Trump.
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