US election result: Democrats’ rapid descent into recrimination after Kamala Harris loss

Working class, Latino and female voters failed to turn out for Kamala Harris in the numbers expected, as sources close to Joe Biden say the 81-year-old still believes he could have beaten Trump.

Recriminations have already set in after the Democrats were rocked by a shock drop in support compared with the 2020 election result – including in traditional strongholds – with working-class, Latino and female voters not supporting Kamala Harris in the numbers the party expected.

The Vice President’s chances of victory had faded by Tuesday evening, with Donald Trump leading in all the swing states while picking up North Carolina, Georgia and Pennsylvania.

With the spectre of defeat looming over her campaign and a big victory in reach for the Republicans – including the prospect of winning the House and the Senate – Ms Harris did not address the people who came to support her at Howard University in Washington where she had been watching the results roll in.

Supporters of Kamala Harris react during an election night event at Howard University in Washington, DC.

Speaking after midnight, Ms Harris’s campaign co-chairman Cedric Richmond said “we still have votes to count” and that “we still have states that have not been called yet”, although he did not express any confidence about a possible victory.

Ms Harris was expected to make comments on the results of the election overnight (AEDT). However, as the polls were closing across America, sources close to Joe Biden told CNN the 81-year-old President was still certain he could have defeated Mr Trump had he stayed on to contest the race after withdrawing in July.

Mr Biden was said to be confident he could have won the three must-win rust-belt states of Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania given his strong standing among the white, working class and that – had he been the candidate in 2016 – he could have also denied Mr Trump a first term.

Exit polls suggested that Ms Harris’s margin with women was no better than Mr Biden’s in 2020 – despite her focus on abortion and women’s reproductive rights – but Mr Trump had performed better with women than he did four years ago. Ms Harris was also running behind Mr Biden’s 2020 showing in Detroit in the key swing state of Michigan – which was deemed too close to call on Tuesday night – while Mr Trump was also poised to win in Erie County in Pennsylvania, a county which the Democrats had claimed four years before.

The result will fuel further speculation about whether Ms Harris should have selected Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro as her running mate rather than Minnesota governor Tim Walz.

Questions were emerging on Tuesday night over the effectiveness of Ms Harris’s campaign and whether the Democrats had lost touch with working-class Americans.

Blue states including Delaware, Rhode Island and Vermont also saw a shift to the right with the New York Times election model predicting the presidential margins in New York and New Jersey also shifted nine or 10 points more Republican.

In New York City – where Mr Trump recently held a controversial rally in Madison Square Garden at which Puerto Rico was likened to a floating pile of garbage – the former president improved on his 2020 vote in the Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens.

While Mr Biden won New Jersey by 16 points in 2020, Ms Harris was only expected to win by less than seven.

The Latino vote was also seen to be a key problem for Ms Harris, with exit polls suggesting she won a little more than half of the vote compared with Mr Biden winning about 65 per cent in 2020.

In Florida, won by Mr Trump, the former president won the three Hispanic-majority counties by more than 10 points despite being eight points behind in 2020.

Questions were emerging on Tuesday night over the effectiveness of Ms Harris’s campaign and whether the Democrats had lost touch with working-class Americans. The focus on abortion and reproductive rights was seen to have fallen flat, while the targeting of Mr Trump’s character as a threat to democracy did not cut through where it needed to.

The decision not to appear on Joe Rogan’s podcast in the final week of the campaign or promote a more appealing political message to men were also identified as key problems for the Democrats – with the Republicans doing much better at winning over new voters.

While Mr Trump was a fraction away from securing the target of 270 electoral college votes needed to claim the White House on Wednesday midnight (AEDT), he had a lead in all swing states – including the “blue wall” – although there was a recognition that it may take days for the final result to become clear.

Ms Harris’ supporters at Howard University were subdued as Mr Trump took an early lead that strengthened over the night, with the New York Times rating him an 89 per cent chance of victory at 11.30pm, local time.