Kamala Harris appears to be on the verge of losing her historic bid to become America’s first female president, as projections show her Republican opponent, Donald Trump, gaining key battleground states.
Harris has not yet conceded, though CBS forecasts suggest Trump is on the brink of a significant victory.
Harris cancelled her planned election night appearance at her alma mater, Howard University in Washington DC, as Trump gained momentum in early results.
CBS projects Trump has secured key battlegrounds, including Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Georgia, with anticipated wins in swing states like Wisconsin and Michigan.
Trump has also claimed victories in conservative states from Florida to Idaho, while Harris took liberal strongholds from New York to California, according to CBS projections.
Harris was expected to address supporters, but campaign co-chair Cedric Richmond announced shortly after midnight that she would not make an appearance.
The atmosphere at Howard, celebratory hours earlier, soured as swing states were called for Trump. From Harris’s campaign headquarters, Democratic fundraiser Lindy Li told the BBC the mood was “pretty grim right now.”
Harris, 60, became the Democratic nominee in July after President Joe Biden stepped down from the race following internal party pressure. A victory would have made her the first woman, first Black woman, and first South Asian-American to hold the presidency.
However, CBS exit polls indicate Harris may have struggled with female voters, receiving 54% of their support—three points less than Biden in 2020.
Support from Black and Latino voters also appeared slightly lower than Biden’s in 2020, per Associated Press exit polls. Around 86 million Americans voted early in one of the most turbulent election seasons in recent history.
The Republican Party has also gained ground in several congressional races in key states, with both the Senate and House up for grabs.
CBS projects that Republicans will secure the Senate, flipping two Democratic seats in West Virginia and Ohio, while overcoming a tight contest in Texas. Control of the House remains competitive, although Republicans currently hold a narrow majority.
Should Republicans regain both chambers, Trump’s legislative agenda—including sweeping tax cuts and mass deportations of undocumented migrants—would likely gain traction.
Both parties have deployed legal teams to prepare for potential election challenges, and law enforcement agencies nationwide were on high alert for possible unrest.
On Tuesday, approximately 30 hoax bomb threats targeted election-related sites, with over half occurring in Georgia, CBS reports.
