WASHINGTON, DC – As polls across the country began to close Tuesday night, thousands of supporters of Vice President Kamala Harris gathered at Howard University in Washington.

But as the clock passed 11 p.m. ET and prognosticators began predicting a Donald Trump victory, some Harris supporters at her watch party in Washington, DC headed home.

Those still there after midnight emptied after a campaign official announced that Harris would not speak at her party.

Cedric Richmond, co-chairman of Harris’ campaign, said Harris would continue to watch the votes and return to Howard University tomorrow to address the nation.

While some in the party remained hopeful that Harris could still win, others were less optimistic. But no one expected the final result to come tonight.

“I’m anxious, not necessarily nervous,” said Paul Sadler, as he and Lane Eskridge walked out. “I’m still hopeful,” Eskridge added.

“It’s still possible (for Harris),” Sadler said. “There is still time. There are still many more votes to come from key battleground states.”

Another man, who identified himself as Ben, described his mood as “tired, exhausted, a little frustrated” when he emerged. “But I still feel like Kamala can win.”

Others agreed. “It’s starting to get a little gloomy,” Washington resident Malcolm Magee said as he headed home. “A little trepidation is the best description.”

Kelsey Moss, who walked toward the exit with Magee, noted that she had work in the morning. “I’m restless, but optimistic,” she said. “We’ll be back tomorrow.”

Moss said he’s going home to sleep; Magee said he will turn on the television to see the results when they arrive. “I’ll probably have a little cocktail,” he said. “I don’t think I’ll sleep that well.”

At the beginning of Harris’ party, the crowd was excited.

Early in the evening, cell service was spotty and the huge screens surrounding the Yard switched to CNN only infrequently to provide updates.

Instead, the crowd danced and sang. A live DJ blasted music and Howard’s performing arts clubs performed. “I personally think it’s going to be a landslide and we’re going to get a result (tonight),” said Kerry Wilson, who voted in Maryland last week.

Harris is not expected to make an appearance until late tonight, when she will declare victory, concede or, as President Joe Biden did in 2020, when the race was too close to call, remind voters that “it’s not over until every vote”. it is counted.”

In the final hours before polls closed across the country, Harris spent the afternoon making a final address to voters over the airwaves. He called radio shows from Philadelphia and Raleigh to Phoenix and Las Vegas, giving one last push to voters to get to the polls.

“During the day, I will be – today, all day – talking to people and reminding them to get out and vote,” Harris told the “Big K Morning Show” in Pittsburgh on Tuesday morning.

As of midday Tuesday, Harris’ campaign said she had also appeared on Power 99 in Philadelphia, “The Big Tigger Morning Show” in Atlanta and Foxy 107.2 in Raleigh, North Carolina. Later that day, he called for shows on the battlefields of Arizona, Nevada, and Wisconsin.

During her radio show in Pittsburgh, Harris said she will have dinner with her family (a “tradition,” she said) before heading to Howard University in Washington, where her campaign will host tonight’s viewing party.

Because of how close the polls are, results were not expected on election night. Polls showed razor-thin margins in several battleground states. Nate Silver’s election forecast ran 80,000 simulations in the early hours of election day; Harris won 50.015% of the time. FiveThirtyEight Survey Aggregator shows Trump ahead in three swing states, Harris ahead in two and a tie in two, and the margin is no more than 2 percentage points in any of them.

More than 78 million Americans voted before Election Day, and 35% of them were Republicans. – marking a significant increase in GOP early voting compared to previous cycles.

On Tuesday afternoon, Harris supporters expressed confidence that she would surpass the polls. “I feel good,” said Mark Gilbert, a former U.S. ambassador and harris donor. “States that report early will let us know a lot. I think (Harris) wins most, if not all, of the swing states, and wins in all the others.”

At Howard, where some attendees began lining up early Tuesday, a chain-link fence surrounds the perimeter and there is a significant police presence. University classes were held remotely on Monday; All classes were canceled on Tuesday.

On Tuesday night, as the campus’s central courtyard filled with campaign supporters, volunteers and staff, attendees said they were hopeful about Harris’ chances.

“Obviously we’re all anxious and nervous, but we’re excited for her,” said James Thompson, a Washington resident. “Let’s say we hope that Vice President Harris will be the next president of the United States.”

Kayla Hill-Jones, a Howard Law School graduate, said Harris’ rise to the top of the Democratic ticket brought “a new energy” to the party.

“Honestly, when Biden ran, I wasn’t that excited and I didn’t have that much energy behind the Democratic Party,” Hill-Jones said. “To see the change and see her be authentically herself, even in the realm of politics, I think is very inspiring.”