Democrats in disbelief over election loss: ‘Sleepwalked into disaster’

NEWSWEEK

Democrats are mourning the loss of the 2024 presidential race as Donald Trump has officially reached the 270 Electoral College votes needed to secure the White House.

While Democratic nominee and incumbent Vice President Kamala Harris is yet to concede her loss, Democrats across America are already picking apart what went wrong for her campaign, which began in the summer following President Joe Biden‘s exit from the race. The result bucked the expectation of a narrow victory for either side, with Trump being victorious in several key battleground states like Georgia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

CNN’s national political correspondent Alex Thompson reported this morning that a longtime Democratic operative said “we sleepwalked into disaster” and that Harris did “as good of a job as she could have done.”

According to CNN, a source close to the campaign said this morning: “Please give the Harris campaign time to define their own strengths and weaknesses.”

Official word from Harris’s campaign team is yet to come. Her campaign co-chair Cedric Richmond told supporters at a would-be victory rally at Howard University in Washington DC that the vice president would make a statement today.

Democrat supporters from outside political circles have also shared their feelings regarding the result on social media.

Author Stephen King, a fierce critic of Trump, wrote on X, formerly Twitter: “There’s a sign you can see in many shops that sell beautiful but fragile items: LOVELY TO LOOK AT, DELIGHTFUL TO HOLD, BUT ONCE YOU BREAK IT, THEN IT’S SOLD. You can say the same about democracy.”

There’s a sign you can see in many shops that sell beautiful but fragile items: LOVELY TO LOOK AT, DELIGHTFUL TO HOLD, BUT ONCE YOU BREAK IT, THEN IT’S SOLD.
You can say the same about democracy.

— Stephen King (@StephenKing) November 6, 2024

Wendell Pierce, an actor and director who starred in political ads for Harris, thanked the vice president and said she was “pragmatic, deliberate, insightful, inspiring, and positive.”

“Madame Vice President you ran a great campaign. In 107 days you introduced yourself to the American people and defined what disqualified your opponent,” he wrote on X. “I am honored to have been a part of this campaign and I look forward to working with you further to protect our democracy and form a more perfect union.

Film director Adam McKay, whose credits include The Big Short and Don’t Look Up, took a less gentle tone with the Harris campaign.

He wrote on X: “Who would have guessed lying about Biden’s cognitive health for 2 yrs, refusing to do an open convention for a new nominee, never mentioning public healthcare & embracing fracking, the Cheneys & a yr long slaughter of children in Gaza wouldn’t be a winning strategy?”

While Democrats are commiserating, Republicans are flocking to congratulate Trump.

House Speaker Mike Johnson said in a statement: “With President Trump back in the White House, there is no obstacle too great and no challenge too difficult.”

Texas Governor Greg Abbott wrote on X: “President Donald J. Trump. The 45th & 47th Presidents of the United States of America. God Bless America.”

Conservative commentator Candace Owens posted: “Donald J Trump is the 47th President of the United States. Cry harder, Hollywood.”

The post Democrats in Disbelief Over Election Loss: ‘Sleepwalked into Disaster’ appeared first on Newsweek.