Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee for president on Oct. 5, called President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday to concede defeat in the election and congratulate him on his victory, a senior adviser to the vice president told The Associated Press. Harris spoke about the need for a peaceful transition of power, the aide said.

Harris, once seen as a potential savior for the Democratic Party after Joe Biden's re-election campaign faltered, faces deep rejection from American voters in this year's presidential election.

Harris was defeated in each of the seven battleground states by Donald Trump, a man she has described as an existential threat to the country’s founding institutions. Trump appeared on track to win the popular vote for the first time in his three campaigns for the White House — even after two impeachment trials, criminal convictions and an attempt to overturn his previous election loss.

Harris's office said she plans to give a concession speech on Wednesday at 4 p.m. She will speak at Howard University, her alma mater in Washington, where her supporters have been watching the results unfold.

On a bitter note for Harris, as vice president she is expected to oversee the ceremonial certification of the election by Congress.

It’s the same role Mike Pence played four years ago when Trump led his supporters to march on the U.S. Capitol. And while critics said the violent insurrection crystallized Trump’s threat to American democracy, it didn’t stop voters from ultimately electing him again, overwhelmingly and clearly.

Harris became the Democratic nominee after Biden, who was already struggling to convince voters he could serve as president until he was 86, stumbled badly in his June 27 debate with Trump.

Biden dropped out of the race on July 21 and endorsed his vice president, who quickly united the Democratic Party around her nomination.

It was a remarkable turn of events for Harris. Four years earlier, her presidential campaign had been ablaze and exposed the political limitations of someone once called “the female Barack Obama.” Although Biden chose Harris as his running mate, she had stagnated in the role after becoming the first black or South Asian woman to hold the office.

And, as experts have noted, some Democrats have begun to dismiss her as they ponder the party’s future after Biden. But Harris found a new calling after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, and she has become the White House’s leading advocate for abortion rights.

Harris also made a more concerted effort to reach out to local politicians, business leaders, and cultural figures, building relationships that could serve her in the future.

The moment came before she expected it, and she was thrust into the presidential race with Biden's withdrawal just a month before the Democratic National Convention.

Harris immediately reset the contest with Trump. She was 18 years younger and a former courtroom prosecutor facing the first major presidential nominee to be convicted of a crime. Her nomination galvanized Democrats who feared they were doomed to defeat with Biden at the top of the ticket.

But she also faced severe difficulties from the start. She inherited Biden’s political operation just 107 days before Election Day (5/11/2024), and faced an anxious electorate eager for change.

Although Harris offered a “new way forward,” she struggled to meaningfully differentiate herself from the unpopular incumbent president. In addition, she had limited time to introduce herself to skeptical voters who did not cast ballots for her in the presidential primary.

Democrats now face the prospect of catching their breath and pulling themselves together during a second Trump presidency, and it is unclear what role Harris will play in her party's future.

Republican Donald Trump was elected the 47th president of the United States on Wednesday, an extraordinary comeback for a former president who refused to accept defeat four years ago, fomented a violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, was convicted on criminal charges and survived two assassination attempts. With his win in Wisconsin, Trump secured the 270 electoral votes needed to win the presidency.

Republicans also regained control of the Senate, picking up seats in West Virginia and Ohio. House races are in focus in New York and California, where Democrats are trying to reclaim some of the dozen or so seats that Republicans have made surprise gains in recent years.