Vice President Harris held her election night watch party at her alma mater Tuesday night. Students and people from the community came to watch the election results on CNN while listening to music, Howard President Dr. Ben Vinson and Angela Alsobrooks among others speak. The Vice President did not make an appearance or give a speech at her event but promised in a statement to address the nation Wednesday morning.

Article by Grace Sawyer, Assistant Chief White House Producer

WASHINGTON - Vice President, and Democratic Party nominee, Kamala Harris held her election watch party Tuesday night at Howard University in Washington D.C.

Students and people in the surrounding community flooded the grounds of Howard to celebrate the Harris-Walz campaign and watch as the election results began getting released.

During her time at Howard University, Vice President Harris got her degree in economics and political science, graduating in 1986, and was a part of the sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha. 

The first states that were called during the party were Vermont, which went to Harris, along with Kentucky and Indiana which went to Donald Trump. These states and many that followed were predicted wins for either candidate and most of the focus was on the crucial swing states that fluctuated between the two.

States like Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, Georgia, North Carolina, Arizona, and Nevada toed the line between falling one way or the other most of the night. These states were tremendously impactful due to their variability and were tracked on the large projectors on stage the majority of the night. When one state would show former president Trump leading in the polls, calls of disagreement and disappointment could be heard erupting from the growing crowd. This was also true for Republican Senate winners who were shown on the big screen, streaming the CNN election updates. 

The night was also spent listening to artists like GloRilla, the Steve Miller Band, V.I.C., The Staple Singers and other upbeat singers being played by the DJ. These songs kept people on their feet and in good spirits as they danced and took selfies to commemorate the celebration well into the night while waiting for more reports.

There were many guests who spoke at the election night event as well. Damanis Moore, the 86th Miss Howard University, sang the National Anthem to kick off the celebration. She was followed by the Howard Gospel Choir, members of the Divine Nine, and then Howard President Dr. Ben Vinson III. Vinson’s speech highlighted the unity of the University, a sentiment echoed by Angela Alsobrooks after she joined in Howard’s celebration after her Maryland Senate race win over Larry Hogan earlier in the night. 

“In America I still believe there is no us versus them, there is only us.” Alsobrooks said as she spoke of an America she still believes in even during this divisive election.

Many people wondered if Vice President Harris would make an appearance or speak at her event. Nearly three quarters of the way through the night however her campaign released a statement indicating that they would see everyone in the morning, indicating her confidence that the race was not yet over and that the results wouldn’t be called until at least the morning, maybe even later into the next day. 

As the night continued, Trump began to gain a slight edge over Harris in swing states like North Carolina and Pennsylvania, earning a dwindling crowd at Howard and long faces on the ones who remained. Howard’s President returned to the stage around 12:45am to confirm that Vice President Harris would not be addressing the crowd that night but would return in the morning to address them in addition to the nation.