After months of campaigning for Kamala Harris, former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama released a statement Wednesday acknowledging her loss in the 2024 presidential election.
“This is obviously not the outcome we had hoped for, given our profound disagreements with the Republican ticket on a whole host of issues,” the Obamas wrote in a statement posted to social media. “But living in a democracy is about recognizing that our point of view won’t always win out, and being willing to accept the peaceful transfer of power.”
Here’s our statement on the results of the 2024 presidential election: pic.twitter.com/lDkNVQDvMn
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) November 6, 2024
The Obamas both delivered headlining speeches in their hometown of Chicago during the Democratic National Convention in August.
At the convention, the former first lady delivered a message of hope to a packed United Center.
“A familiar feeling that’s been buried too deep for far too long. You know what I’m talking about: it’s the contagious power of hope,” she said in August. “The anticipation, the exhilaration of once again being on the cusp of a brighter day. The chance to vanquish the demons of fear, division and hate that have consumed us.”
During his convention speech, the former president slammed Trump’s “weird obsession with crowd sizes,” holding his hands a short distance apart and drawing huge laughs.
Harris conceded to a crowd of supporters at Howard University Wednesday before the Obamas released their statement. They echoed her call to Democrats to continue their fight.
“In a county as big and diverse as ours, we won’t always see eye-to-eye on everything. But progress requires us to extend good faith and grace — even to people with whom we deeply disagree. That’s how we’ve come this far, and it’s how we’ll keep building a country that is more fair and more just, more equal and more free.”
Gov. JB Pritzker says Illinois is an ‘ally’ for vulnerable communities
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker also reacted to the election results following Harris’ concession Wednesday. The governor has been a fierce opponent of Donald Trump and a staunch supporter of reproductive rights.
“This morning our most vulnerable communities woke up to new uncertainty about their future, scared their rights will no longer be protected and unsure whether this nation stands with them,” Pritzker wrote in a post on social media.
“To women whose healthcare is under even greater threat, to our Black, Brown and AAPI communities, our LGBTQ friends and their families, immigrants and first-generation Americans, our most vulnerable Americans and those with disabilities, to all who have been made to feel unsafe and unwelcome by the Trump campaign and its allies — know that Illinois is your ally. You will always be welcome here,” his statement said.
Pritzker also spoke at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in August, blasting the “stupidity” of Trump.
“Donald Trump thinks we should trust him on the economy because he claims to be very rich,” Pritzker said in August. “Take it from an actual billionaire, Trump is rich in only one thing: stupidity.”