Harris urges supporters to ‘never give up the fight for our democracy’ in concession

Vice President Harris addressed a crowd of supporters outside her alma mater, Howard University, on Wednesday where she delivered a concession speech reflecting on her whirlwind campaign and leaving her voters with a message of hope and faith in democracy. Laura Barrón-López reports.
Amna Nawaz:
Well, Vice President Harris’ concession speech today reflected on her whirlwind campaign and left her voters with a message of hope and faith in democracy.
Kamala Harris:
Earlier today, I spoke with president-elect Trump and congratulated him on his victory. I also told him that we will help him and his team with their transition and that we will 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.
At the same time, in our nation, we owe loyalty not to a president or a party, but to the Constitution of the United States.
(Cheering)
Kamala Harris:
And loyalty to our conscience and to our God. My allegiance to all three is why I am here to say, while I concede this election, I do not concede the fight that fueled this campaign.
(Cheering)
Kamala Harris:
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, that is a fight I will never give up.
Amna Nawaz:
Our Laura Barron-Lopez was at Harris’ watch party last night. She’s been following the Democratic reaction since the party’s decisive loss in this election. She joins me now.
Laura Barron-Lopez:
Good to see you here.
Amna Nawaz:
So, tell us more about that concession speech. What was Harris’ message directly to the Americans who voted for her?
Laura Barron-Lopez:
Vice President Harris returned to Howard, where her watch party was last night.
And she nodded to the fear and the anxiety that many Americans who voted for her are feeling, but also warned against apathy.
Kamala Harris:
To the young people who are watching, it is OK to feel sad and disappointed, but please know it’s going to be OK.
The important thing is, don’t ever give up. Don’t ever give up. Don’t ever stop trying to make the world a better place.
You have power. You have power. And don’t you ever listen when anyone tells you something is impossible because it has never been done before.
(Cheering)
Kamala Harris:
And so, to everyone who is watching, do not despair. This is not a time to throw up our hands. This is a time to roll up our sleeves.
(Cheering)
Kamala Harris:
This is a time to organize, to mobilize, and to stay engaged for the sake of freedom and justice and the future that we all know we can build together.
Laura Barron-Lopez:
That line where she talked about Democrats needing to organize and Americans who supported her needing to organize and mobilize was one that drew a lot of cheers from the crowd there today, Amna.
And, ultimately, it was a lack of enthusiasm that the vice president was facing. She was facing headwinds of a lack of interest and a lack of — and disillusionment among some voters with her and with her party. And yet today she was trying to speak directly to them again to say that that is — that those are voters that ultimately her party is going to continue to fight for.
Amna Nawaz:
Yes, we heard some optimism there, kind of some calls to action, but you also mentioned she spoke to this uncertainty, the apprehension that some American voters are feeling right now. Tell us more about that.
Laura Barron-Lopez:
A lot of Democrats, including those who repeatedly said that they thought Donald Trump could win, were shocked today.
And Harris was trying to address that shock, that fear. And — but she was also trying to project today hope and resilience.
Kamala Harris:
I know many people feel like we are entering a dark time. But for the benefit of us all, I hope that is not the case. But here’s the thing. America, if it is, let us fill the sky with the light of a brilliant, brilliant billion of stars…
(Cheering)
Kamala Harris:
… the light, the light of optimism, of faith, of truth and service.
Laura Barron-Lopez:
That feeling of entering a dark time is one that I heard from many Democrats today, especially Democrats of color.
I spoke to one Black Democratic campaign veteran who said that the country was confronted with nationalistic, xenophobic, racist and sexist messaging from Trump and his campaign, and yet still said yes to a second term, and that Democrats are going to have to figure out how to battle that next go-around, the next presidential race.
Amna Nawaz:
So, in speaking with those Democratic officials and sources, did any of them reflect on the election results itself and how this happened?
Laura Barron-Lopez:
Many of them did reflect on it.
But first, Amna, I want to note that President Biden spoke to both Vice President Harris today, congratulating her on her run, on her historic campaign.
And he also called president-elect Donald Trump, congratulating him. And Donald Trump’s campaign said that the president-elect plans to go to the White House to speak with Biden and ensure a peaceful transfer of power.
But there was some finger-pointing today, Amna, amongst Democrats. Some lawmakers and sources that I spoke to said that they thought that President Biden should never have attempted a run for reelection, that if he had stepped out sooner, that could have maybe solved this.
Few felt that Harris could have done anything differently, that she was battling incumbency headwinds. One Black Democratic organizer I spoke to in Michigan said that there was a lot of talk about protecting democracy, but then ultimately when they went door to door to talk to voters in their communities in Detroit, that democracy just fell on deaf ears because people were concerned about their livelihoods.
Amna Nawaz:
What did you hear on the ground? I mean, you were at that watch party talking to voters. What did you hear from them last night?
Laura Barron-Lopez:
Last night, they were upset. They were surprised.
And today, our producer Layla Quran was on the ground and she spoke to a voter from Minnesota who said that they feel immense fear, disappointment. A Latina young voter, 22, from North Carolina said that she is now scared for the safety of her family because she lives in a mixed-status family and is concerned about deportations.
Amna Nawaz:
Big picture — we may not be able to answer this now, but what’s next for the Democratic Party?
Laura Barron-Lopez:
The two biggest takeaways, Amna, is that I heard across the board from Democrats is that they feel as though they need to have a reckoning with how they reach Latinos, working-class voters, and men.
And the second thing was that Democrats need to rethink how they talk to those voters, how they communicate with them, and that the traditional sources that they use and the traditional campaigning that they have employed may not work anymore.
Amna Nawaz:
All right. That’s our Laura Barron-Lopez.
Laura, thank you.
Laura Barron-Lopez:
Thank you.