After months of campaigning, November 5th proved to be a difficult night for Kamala Harris.

She had hoped for a promotion from vice president to president, but Americans instead voted to return Donald Trump to the White House for his second term, with a decisive victory for the Republican candidate.

These hopes of victory were to be celebrated with a victory rally at Howard University in Washington, DC, a historically black college where Harris studied.

Supporters flocked to campus, where the Democratic candidate, if successful, was scheduled to speak on a blue stage in front of the main campus building.

For Harris personally, holding her ceremony at the college would have been a meaningful moment. Had her campaign been successful, she would have been the first president to graduate from a historically black college — she graduated in 1986 with a bachelor’s degree in political science and economics.

From there, she launched her first unsuccessful presidential campaign in 2019.

“You stand on sacred, sacred ground that has witnessed history,” university President Wayne AI Frederick told the crowd before the result was announced. “They stand on the grass our ancestors sowed, flanked by buildings whose bricks witnessed former slaves becoming scholars. Tonight our court is open in unity to all people, all races, creeds, genders, ethnicities and backgrounds.”

Many came hoping to share this moment with Harris. Pictures from the evening show crowds of fans waiting on the pitch for the result.

Initially, their supporters were in a good mood and hoped that their team would win. American flags were in abundance, and some supporters wore T-shirts and hoodies bearing the vice president’s face. Sorority sisters dressed in pink and took selfies. Choristers played “Oh Happy Day” and a DJ provided the music as Democrats waited for signs of victory.

But as the night wore on and it became increasingly clear that Democrats would not secure the 270 Electoral College votes needed to secure the presidency, the signs of dejection were clear. Instead of a triumphant Harris, around 12:45 p.m. ET on Wednesday, the crowd was met by campaign co-chair Cedric Richmond, who told the crowd that Harris would not be giving speeches.

“We still have to count votes. We still have states that haven’t called,” Richmond said. “You’ll hear from her tomorrow.”

From then on, supporters streamed away from campus, some holding their heads in their hands as they realized Trump would almost certainly become the 47th president. According to CBS reporter Nidia Cavazos, media outlets were ordered to turn off their lights before 1 a.m. ET.

What remained were empty chairs and abandoned stars and stripes, illuminated by the blue light of a screen displaying the Harris Walz logo.

Meanwhile, a victorious Trump addressed his supporters at his own party in West Palm Beach, Florida, after it was announced that several key battleground states had voted for him.

“This is a great victory for the American people that will allow us to make America great again,” he said. “America has given us an unprecedented and powerful mandate.”

He added: “It is a political victory that our country has never seen before, nothing like it. I want to thank the American people for the extraordinary honor of being elected your 47th President and your 45th President.”