Guests were reduced to tears at what was hoped to be a Kamala Harris victory party on election night.
Crowds had gathered at Howard University in Washington, D.C. to watch the returns come in.
As swing states started turning toward Republican Donald Trump the mood turned sober.
Some in the crowd were seen in tears, others with their hands covered and others with stunned looks on their faces as it appeared the election was slipping away.
Harris Campaign Co-chair Cedric Richmond told the crowd the vice president would not be addressing them as the vote count extended into the overnight hours.
The numbers did not look promising for Harris as Trump carried two of the crucial swing states and was leading in voting at several others.
Richmond said Harris would address the nation later on Wednesday.