BREAKING: Kamala Harris concedes race to Donald Trump in final speech to supporters: ‘do not despair’

Supporters gathered at Howard University to hear what their candidate had to say and the joy that had been said to be such a huge part of the brief campaign seemed noticeably absent as attendees milled around, listening to an upbeat soundtrack. Once she arrived, the crowd became impatient and started calling her name as Beyonce's song "Who Run the World (Girls)" played. The arrival of Harris' running mate Tim Walz and his wife Gwen indicated that perhaps her speech would begin soon, despite how late she was at taking the podium.

Harris walked out to another Beyonce song, Freedom, which was a mainstay of her campaign playlist. Supporters chanted her name for her final campaign event as she began her address.

"So let me say–and I love you back," she said to a supporter. "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 resolve.

"The outcome 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 to always burn bright as long as we never give up and as long as we keep fighting."

She shouted out her husband, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, her running mate and his wife, as well as President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill. She thanked everyone who had worked on her campaign, everyone who supported her, and everyone involved in the infrastructure of elections.

"Look, I am so proud of the race we ran and the way we ran it and the way we ran it over the 107 days of this campaign," she said. "We have been intentional about building community and building coalitions, bringing people together from every walk of life, and background, united by love of country with enthusiasm and joy in our fight for America's future.

"And we did it with the knowledge that we all have so much more in common than what separates us. Now, I know folks are feeling and experiencing a range of emotions right now. I get it, but we must accept the results of this election," she said.

"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," this was clearly intended as a dig against the former and future president, considering her campaigning on the J6 riot.

"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, 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," she went on.

"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. I will never give up the fight for a future where Americans can pursue their dreams, ambitions and aspirations, where the women of America have the freedom to make decisions about their own body and not have their government telling them what to do. We will never give up the fight to protect our schools and our streets from gun violence.

"And America," Harris went on, "we will never give up the fight for our democracy, for the rule of law, for equal justice and for the sacred idea that every one of us, no matter who we are or where we start out, has certain fundamental rights and freedoms that must be respected and upheld, and we will continue to wage this fight in the voting booth, in the courts and in the public square, and we will also wage it in quieter ways, in how we live our lives, by treating one another with kindness and respect, by looking in the face of a stranger and seeing a neighbor by always using our strength to lift people up to fight for the dignity that all people deserve.

"The fight for our freedom will take hard work, but like I always say, we like hard work. Hard work is good work. Hard work can be joyful work. And the fight for our country is always worth it. It is always worth it," she said.

Then Harris tried to uplift those supporters who perhaps felt betrayed by the loss, saying "to the young people who are watching, it is okay to feel sad and disappointed, but please know it's going to be okay. On the campaign trail, I would often say, when 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 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.

"You have the capacity to do extraordinary good In the world. Everyone who is wanting, do not despair. This is not a time to throw up our hands. This is a time to roll up our sleeves.

"This is a time to organize, to mobilize and to stay engaged for the sake of freedom and justice, the future that we all know we can build together. Look, many of you know I started out as a prosecutor, and throughout my career, I saw people at some of the worst times in their lives, people who had suffered great harm and great pain, and yet found within themselves the strength and the courage and the resolve to take the stand, to take a stand, to fight for justice, to fight for themselves, to fight for others.

"So let their courage be our inspiration. Let their determination be our charge. And I'll close with this: There's an adage, and historian once called a law of history, true of every society across the ages. The adage is, 'only when it is dark enough can you see the stars.'

"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. The light of optimism, of faith, of truth and service. And may that work guide us, even in the face of setbacks toward the extraordinary promise of the United States of America. I thank you all, may God bless you and may God Bless the United States of America," she concluded. The crowd dispersed to the ending notes of Beyonce's Freedom

Harris lost every swing state, including Pennsylvania, which is governed by a man who she could have chosen for her running mate, Josh Shapiro. She lost Michigan, Wisconsin, Arizona, Georgia, North Carolina, and Nevada. She did not outperform her boss, President Joe Biden, anywhere on the map. Instead, after coming onto the top of the ticket on July 21, she lost both the popular vote and the Electoral College.