Kamala Harris Concedes Race But Vows To Fight On

Photo: Reuters/Kevin Lamarque

WASHINGTON, DC (Reuters) – US Vice President Kamala Harris vowed to keep fighting for the ideals that powered her presidential campaign on November 6 in a concession speech that acknowledged President-elect Donald Trump’s win while warning of potential dark times to come.

“While I concede this election, I do not concede the fight that fueled this campaign,” she told supporters, many of them in tears, at her alma mater Howard University, a historically Black college in Washington.

Harris, her voice at times wavering, pledged to continue fighting for women’s rights and against gun violence and to “fight for the dignity that all people deserve”.

She said she had called Trump, congratulated him on his triumph and promised to engage in a peaceful transfer of power.

“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 – hear me when I say: The light of America’s promise will always burn bright,” she said.

The somber mood was in striking contrast to the homecoming a few weeks ago on the Howard campus when thousands of students and alumni gathered ahead of what they hoped would be the election of the country’s first graduate of historically Black Colleges and Universities as president.

Harris addressed a crowd that included former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, aides in President Joe Biden’s White House and thousands of fans. Harris’ campaign anthem, Beyonce’s “Freedom”, played as she entered the stage.

Her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, joined the crowd.

“A fundamental principle of American democracy is that when we lose an election, we accept the results. That principle, as much as any other, distinguishes democracy from monarchy or tyranny, and anyone who seeks public trust must honor it,” Harris said, in a nod at Trump’s efforts, before he won to sow doubt about the legitimacy of the election.

Trump claims falsely that he won the 2020 election, which he lost to Biden.

Harris encouraged her supporters, especially young people, not to give up even in their disappointment and said: “Sometimes the fight takes a while. That doesn’t mean we won’t win.”

“I know many people feel like we are entering a dark time, but for the benefit of us all, I hope that is not the case. But here’s the thing: America, if it is, lets us fill the sky with the light of a brilliant, brilliant billion stars … the light of optimism, of faith, of truth and service,” she said.