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After Harris' loss, angry Democrats blame her boss, Joe Biden

One Democratic official placed blame on "malpractice" by Biden's inner circle.
Last Updated : 06 November 2024, 21:59 IST

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WOMEN AND YOUNG VOTERS

Concerns about the problems with Harris' run for president ran deeper, though. Two groups Harris was counting on to beat the former president -- increasingly diverse young voters, believed to be motivated by climate change, liberal values and her social media savvy, and women worried about shrinking abortion rights under a Republican -- moved in Trump's direction instead. Trump's overall share of voters under 45 was up 2 percentage points from 2020 as was his share of women voters, Edison Research exit poll data show. Trump also increased his support in many suburban areas, where Democrats thought they had made inroads.

The shift came even as the Harris campaign insisted the race was close, and that she was picking up new voters.

One Democratic National Committee official said he was fielding angry text messages from party members late on Tuesday night. "They feel lied to by the campaign," the official said.

Harris' defeat is the Democrats' second bitter loss to Trump over the past three elections. Hillary Clinton's 2016 defeat had paved the way for Biden to run. A convicted felon, Trump has made unorthodox economic proposals, including blanket tariffs on imports, that may be costly for U.S. consumers and businesses, economists say. His plans to deport millions of people who are in the country illegally would upend industries and communities.

Still, Trump gained with Hispanic voters, and had easy wins in Georgia and North Carolina, states where Democrats thought they were competitive. Harris' whirlwind campaign had banked on a theme of inclusivity in their messaging and stronger fiscal support for families to unify a winning coalition, but fell short.

"We dug out of a deep hole but not enough. A devastating loss," David Plouffe, senior adviser to campaign, wrote on X. Biden and Harris' support of Israel during its assault on Gaza split the Democratic Party, with many progressive Democrats calling unsuccessfully for the U.S. to curb its military aid to Israel. That cost votes among left-leaning Democrats.

Harris remained at her residence in Washington all Tuesday evening while crowds waited outside her alma mater Howard University, where the campaign had set up a stage and a media center, anticipating days of vote counting before a result. She finally arrived at the university campus on Wednesday afternoon to deliver her concession speech, which included thanking Biden.

"While I concede this election, I do not concede the fight that fueled this campaign," she said. 

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Published 06 November 2024, 21:59 IST

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