Photo: SAUL LOEB / AFP / Getty Images
Vice President Kamala Harris delivered a concession speech in front of her supporters at Howard University on Wednesday (November 6) after losing the 2024 presidential election to Donald Trump.
"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," Harris told her supporters. "As long as we never give. As long as we keep fighting."
Harris said that she was "proud of the race we ran and the way we ran it."
"We have been intentional about building community and building coalitions. Bringing people together from every walk of life and background, united by love of country, with enthusiasm and joy in our fight for America's future," she said. "And we did it with the knowledge that we all have so much more in common than what separates us."
Harris said she called President-elect Trump the election and promised to "engage in a peaceful transfer of power."
"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 the public trust must honor it," Harris said.
Harris said that while she is conceding the election, she will continue to fight for what her campaign stood for.
"I am here to say while I concede this election, I do not concede the fight that fueled this campaign. The fight, the fight for freedom, for opportunity, for fairness, and the dignity of all people. A fight for the ideals at the heart of our nation. The ideals that reflect America at our best," Harris said. "That is a fight I will never give up."
Harris then urged her supporters to stay hopeful despite the setbacks and focus on spreading the "light optimism, of faith, of truth and service."
"May that work guide us, even in the face of setbacks, toward the extraordinary promise of the United States of America," Harris said.