By Ti-Hua Chang/AsAmNews
WASHINGTON, DC — The Kamala Harris election night watch party at Howard University here Nov. 5 ended as a chill descended on the outdoor rally — a chill both physical and emotional. As the temperature dropped 14 degrees, so did the hopes of a Harris win with Trump’s increase in projected electoral votes. Vice President Kamala Harris never showed up at her watch party.
Just after midnight, Cedric Richmond, the Harris campaign co-chair, told the already reduced crowd, “We still have votes to count and will continue to check overnight. Vice-President Harris won’t speak to you tonight, but she will be back here tomorrow to talk to you and the nation.”
EMS adds: The Associated Press called the race in favor of Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump at 4:45 am Nov. 6. Trump won both the popular vote, with almost 72 million votes, and the Electoral College with 277 votes. He claimed victory earlier in the evening when Fox News called the race in his favor.
Optimism
The rally began with cheerful enthusiasm in the center of Harris’ alma mater, Howard University. The same yard where she walked some 40 years ago filled up with thousands of supporters, many Howard alumnae and students. The sense that history might be made, the first woman President, the first Asian American President, filled the rally with cheer and hope. There was talk of a new direction for America including from the relatively few Asian Americans present.
Dan Lee, from Korean Americans for Harris, just returned from canvassing for her in Georgia. He proudly told AsAmNews that his team, which included actress Sandra Oh and Grace Lee, reached some 13,000 potential voters. He admitted that canvassing Georgia was “tough.”
Christine Chen, from APIA Vote (Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote), in between telephone calls to potential voters texted AsAmNews: “This election is an important moment to establish our community’s role as a consistent and powerful voting bloc. As our voting power grows, so does our ability to advocate for issues that matter to us, from immigration to healthcare to economic opportunity.”
Descent to Darkness
Early on during the Harris rally, George Washington University graduate student Yisan Chan said a President Kamala Harris would have a lot of impact. “She is the first Indian American, first Asian American President, hopefully, and cares a lot about women’s rights, which is something I care a lot about.” Chan also cited the Biden administration’s work on the economy and climate change.
AAPI Victory Fund’s founder, Shekar Narasimhan, told AsAmNews that Asian American voting has increased since 2016 from 49% participation to 60% this year, but not all supporting Harris.
Dream Postponed
By the rally’s midpoint, Bel Leong-Hong, co-founder of the AAPI Victory Fund, told AsAmNews that a Harris Presidency would be, “A dream come true… it would smash the glass ceiling for Asian Americans.”
As the Trump electoral college numbers increased, we asked Arshi Siddiqui, also from the AAPI Victory fund, what would happen if Trump won? She replied, “We would join with allies and use America’s checks and balances to fight back.”
