Anticipation filled the air at Howard University in Washington, D.C., Tuesday night as thousands gathered on The Yard to celebrate what many hoped would be a historic victory for Vice President Kamala Harris. Supporters of the Harris-Walz campaign, drawn to her alma mater, arrived early, expecting a night of joy and the possibility of witnessing a major milestone in American history. As election results rolled in, however, a sense of unease began to settle over the crowd, and by midnight, the watch party’s celebratory atmosphere had shifted to quiet concern.

For many, the night began with high spirits. Music blared from speakers, supporters danced and cheered, and an overwhelming sense of unity and optimism filled the campus. Supporters rallied together to mark what they hoped would be a defining moment in American politics — the election of the first Black woman and first woman of South Asian descent as president. However, as results from key battleground states indicated a tighter-than-expected race, tensions rose among the crowd, and celebratory smiles turned into expressions of apprehension.

The tipping point came when Harris-Walz campaign Cochair Cedric Richmond took the stage at 12:42 a.m. to address the crowd. Richmond informed supporters that Harris would not be speaking that night. He thanked the attendees for their unwavering support, acknowledging the passion and dedication they brought to the night’s gathering. Richmond also reassured them that the campaign’s priority was to ensure that every vote was counted, emphasizing that every voice mattered in this closely contested election.

“Thank you for believing in the promise of America,” Richmond said. “We still have votes to count. We still have states that have not been called yet. We will continue overnight to fight to make sure that every vote is counted [and] that every voice has spoken. So you won’t hear from the vice president tonight, but you will hear from her tomorrow.” He said she would address the HU family, her supporters, and the nation from the university on Wednesday.

Earlier in the evening, signs of uncertainty had already begun as the campaign’s projections in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin — the trio of “blue wall” states that proved critical in recent elections — did not immediately show the expected leads. The Harris-Walz campaign had been hopeful, with significant early turnout among nonwhite and student populations in Philadelphia, Detroit, and key Wisconsin counties like Dane and Milwaukee. However, reports of unexpectedly close races in those areas brought apprehension to both the campaign team and the crowd, as the race appeared tighter than hoped.

In an email to campaign staff sent at around 11 p.m. Eastern, Harris’s campaign manager, Jen O’Malley Dillon, confirmed the race’s closeness, describing it as “razor-thin.” She noted that the campaign had prepared for a challenging night, and the path to victory would hinge on patient monitoring of late returns in battleground states. O’Malley Dillon acknowledged the heightened turnout in several Democratic strongholds but urged patience, as counting delays in Philadelphia and Detroit meant results would not be conclusive for hours. She likened the situation to the 2020 election, reminding staff that “it takes time for all the votes to be counted — and all the votes will be counted.”