Kamala Harris Was ‘Shocked’ by 2024 Election Results: Report

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In a surprising political twist, former Vice President Kamala Harris was reportedly blindsided by her loss to President Donald Trump in the 2024 election.

According to a new book, Fight: Inside the Wildest Battle for the White House, Harris believed up until the final moments that she would emerge victorious.

The details were shared by co-author Amie Parnes during her appearance on the Somebody’s Gotta Win podcast with Tara Palmeri. Parnes described a sense of shock and unpreparedness on the part of both Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D).

“She was completely shocked, and [Walz] was shocked,” Parnes said, painting a vivid picture of a campaign leadership caught flat-footed. The book, co-written with NBC’s Jonathan Allen, dives deep into what they call a chaotic and disorganized end to the Harris campaign.

The scene on election night was reportedly one of disbelief. Walz, according to Parnes, was left speechless in his hotel room, trying to process the unfolding reality as results rolled in, showing Trump pulling ahead, per Trending Politics.

Parnes recounted that both Harris and Walz had trouble accepting the outcome. She described a moment when Harris questioned whether the vote count was accurate and even asked if a recount was needed. The mood was described as confusion laced with desperation.

One major theme in the book is the campaign’s overconfidence. Parnes emphasized that the Harris team fully believed they would win and had not prepared for the possibility of defeat. “They thought that they were going to win,” she said bluntly.

The disconnect between perception and reality appears to have been widespread within Harris’s circle. Staffers reportedly felt misled by campaign leaders who assured them of strong voter support, increased ground operations, and superior fundraising.

Harris herself reportedly relied on visible metrics such as crowd sizes at rallies to gauge her chances. The book suggests that she “bought the hype” being circulated within the campaign, something many others around her also did.

This overconfidence may have led to a lack of strategic flexibility. The campaign didn’t seem to have a plan for a close or losing race, further compounding the sense of disarray when the loss became evident.

After the election, Harris reportedly confided in friends that the timing of the campaign and Joe Biden’s decisions had negatively impacted her prospects. She believed she might have won if the election had been held later or if she had entered the race earlier.

In private conversations, Harris is said to have placed blame on Biden, implying that his actions boxed her into a weaker position. This sentiment, however, was not universally shared, even among her allies.

One unnamed friend sharply rejected Harris’s reasoning, calling her claim “f*cking bonkers” and suggesting a shorter campaign might have actually helped her instead of hurt her.

Despite winning 226 electoral votes to Trump’s 312 and capturing 48.3% of the popular vote versus Trump’s 49.8%, Harris’s campaign faltered due to misjudgment, internal disarray, and poor strategy.

The aftermath left Harris and her team stunned, with insiders reportedly grappling with how a presumed victory slipped through their fingers.