The Tartan

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With the presidential race called, and the dust finally settled on what has been an overwhelmingly tense few months, a still wind void of any cheer or noise has befallen Washington. On Tuesday night, most election watch parties ended early, with varying levels of dread upon the faces of the guests as they came bouncing out of bars and restaurants. Over at Howard University, thousands gathered to hear from Madam Vice President as the polls from the states closed and the counts started coming in. As the night progressed however, the cheers when states were called for Blue turned into booing jeers as the CNN announcements on the jumbotron started calling the swing states for Red. At around 1:28 a.m., Harris lost Pennsylvania, and with three swing states already called and it being obvious to everyone that the chances of victory were diminished, everyone started to head home, and Harris never came out to the crowd.

The next morning, the city seemed to be up early, reeling back in shock at how everything had gone. There was no parade, as had been wanted and expected, but just a silence not a soul dared to break. Going to work, everyone on the Metro and sidewalk looked down at their feet as they commuted. Getting to class, many historical streets were closed down and sectioned off by dozens of squad cars, as if in anticipation that a battle might break out at any minute. On the Mall, a few small protests were being held in both anger and confusion as to how the politics of the country could take such a dramatic turn. People’s fleeting thoughts were being juggled on both the news and in person on what the country might look like come the new year, hardly any of it positive.

That afternoon, back at Howard University, Madam Vice President finally took the stage to make a final statement as the Harris- Walz campaign took its final bow. Fittingly, with the sun setting, she made it absolutely clear that she would accept the results, peacefully transfer power, and vow to the American people that the rallied efforts of the past months would not simply dissolve into the wind. She promised that attention to issues pertaining to human rights would not be buried, and that in the end, it was not just a matter of elections, or court decisions or rallies, but of neighborliness and mutual respect to the person next to you, no matter your background, nor theirs. Lastly, she took the moment to thank everyone that had come out to her rallies across all the cities and towns that she’s visited over the 108 days since she started her campaign. And with that, she waved goodbye and the crowd finally broke out against the silence that had been plaguing the city. People cried and cheered that everything would work out, as everything does in the end, and finally mouths on faces were able to smile again.