Kamala Harris’ full election concession speech – NBC4 Washington

Vice President Kamala Harris officially conceded the 2024 presidential election to Donald Trump in a speech on Wednesday afternoon. Full remarks, delivered at her alma mater, Howard University in Washington, DC, are below.

So let me say, my heart is full today. My heart is full today. Full of gratitude for the trust you have placed in me, full of love for our country and full of determination.

The result 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 brightly as long as we never give up and as long as we keep fighting.

To my beloved Doug and our family, I love you so much. Thank you to President Biden and Dr. Biden for your trust and support. To Governor Walz and the Walz family: I know your service to our nation will continue. And I thank my extraordinary team, the volunteers who gave so much of themselves, the poll workers and local poll workers. Thank you all.

Look, I’m so proud of the race we ran and the way we ran it and the way we ran it. Throughout the one hundred and seven days of this campaign, we have intentionally focused on building communities and coalitions. We bring together people from all walks of life and backgrounds, united by love of country, with enthusiasm and joy in our fight for America’s future. And we did it knowing that we all have so much more in common than what separates us.

Now I know that people are feeling and experiencing a range of emotions right now. I understand it. But we must accept the results of this election. I spoke with President-elect Trump today and congratulated him on his victory. I also told him that we would help him and his team with their transition and work toward a peaceful transfer of power.

A fundamental principle of American democracy is that when we lose an election, we accept the results. This principle, like any other, distinguishes democracy from monarchy or tyranny, and anyone who seeks the public’s trust must respect 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 and loyalty to our conscience and our God. My allegiance to all three is why I’m here, to say that while I admit this election, I don’t admit the fight that fueled this campaign. The fight for freedom, for opportunities, for justice and the dignity of all people. A fight for the ideals at the heart of our nation, the ideals that reflect America at its best. This is a fight I will never give up.

I will never give up the fight for a future in which Americans can realize their dreams, ambitions and aspirations. Where women in America have the freedom to make decisions about their own bodies and not let the government tell them what to do.

We will never give up the fight to protect our schools and streets from gun violence. And America, we will never give up the fight for our democracy, for the rule of law, for equal justice, and for the sacred idea that each of us, no matter who we are or where we start, has certain basic rights and freedoms that will be respected and upheld must.

And we will continue to fight this fight in the voting booth, in the courts, and in the public square. And we will also conduct it in a quieter way. In the way we live our lives, treating each other with kindness and respect. By looking a stranger in the face and seeing a neighbor. By always using our strength to lift people up. Fight for the dignity that all people deserve. Fighting for our freedom will take hard work, but as I always say, we like hard work. Hard work is good work, hard work can be joyful work and fighting for our country is always worth it. It’s always worth it.

For the young people watching, it’s okay to be sad and disappointed, but know that everything will be okay. During the election campaign I would often say: If we fight, we win. But here’s the thing. Here’s the thing. Sometimes the fight takes a while. That doesn’t mean we won’t win. That doesn’t mean we won’t win.

The most important thing is to never give up. Never give up, never stop making the world a better place. You have power. You have power and you never listen when someone tells you something is impossible because it has never been done before. You have the ability to do extraordinary good in the world. Therefore, to everyone watching: don’t despair.

This is not the time to throw up your hands. Now it’s time to roll up your sleeves. This is a time of organizing, mobilizing and engaging for freedom and justice and for the future we all know we can build together.

Look, many of you know that I started as a prosecutor and throughout my career I have seen people at the worst times in their lives. People who had suffered great harm and great pain and yet found within themselves the strength, courage and determination to take a stand, to take a stand, to fight for justice, to fight for themselves, to fight for others. So let their courage inspire you. Let their determination be our responsibility.

And with that I close. There is a saying that a historian once described as a law of history that applies to all societies of all times. The saying goes: Only when it is dark enough can you see the stars. I know many people feel that we are entering a dark time, but for everyone’s sake I hope this is not the case.

But here’s the thing. If it is America, then let us fill the sky with the light of a bright, shining billion stars. The light of optimism, faith, truth and service. And may this work guide us even in the face of setbacks to the extraordinary promise of the United States of America.

Thank you all. May God bless you and may God bless the United States of America. Thank you all.

Here is the latest voter demographic breakdown from election polls conducted by NBC News in collaboration with other news organizations across the country.