High security, low energy: What election night felt like in D.C.
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Attendees react as the election results are broadcast during an event at Howard University, where Kamala Harris was supposed to speak. Photographer: Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg via Getty Images
After a historic election season, it finally arrived — election night in D.C. — and it felt like most people were at Howard or at home.
The big picture: After weeks of tension, Washington was on edge with upped security and businesses boarded up from Georgetown to NoMa.
- Thousands filled Howard's campus courtyard Tuesday night, where Vice President Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz watched the results roll in.
- Off-campus on U Street, there were plenty of police cars and law enforcement officers out — but the crowds were thin overall. And many of the U and 14th street bars that Axios visited were relatively subdued, without lines to get in.
State of play: Nov. 5 in D.C. started with a strange juxtaposition: a backdrop of blue skies and unusually warm temperatures interspersed with fencing and plywood-lined storefronts.
- Downtown D.C. was largely business as usual, albeit a little quieter. On the National Mall, tourists visited the sites and politely waited in turn to take photos of the anti-Trump poop statue that recently popped up near the US Capitol.
Meanwhile, Harris and Walz were both spotted out and about in the city before heading to Harris' alma mater.
- Harris made an appearance at a phone bank event at the Democratic National Committee headquarters in D.C. And Walz got some Election Day jitters out with a run down the Lincoln Memorial steps.
The scene: Later in the evening at Howard, the warm autumn evening began upbeat with an expectant crowd dancing to DJ tracks. But as the hours wore on, expressions turned sober, and eyes were fixed on a giant projection of CNN showing Harris' path to victory narrowing.
- Harris didn't address the gathering. She will address the nation at the university today, said campaign co-chair Cedric Richmond.
On Capitol Hill, politico party destination Union Pub was packed, as usual.
- In Adams Morgan, the Green Zone — home of the "F*** Trump Punch" — said sales of the long-running political special were up 60%, but crowds in the TV-less bar were thinning out by late evening.
Washingtonians were gathered at spots like Political Pattie's, which had a tame group glued to the TVs while eating free popcorn, even though its owners said the election would be their "Super Bowl."
- At Whitlow's, bar goers booed for Trump and cheered for Harris as states were called on the packed rooftop.
And over on H Street, the sports bar Dirty Water hosted a pro-Trump Election Night party with the D.C. Young Republicans, where Trump supporters gathered in MAGA hats and American flag suits, reports Washingtonian.
Zoom out: While Election Day remained mostly calm, there were a few instances of local disruption.
Capitol Police arrested a man attempting to bring a flare gun, lighter and "accelerant" through a security checkpoint at the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center.
- Capitol police chief Thomas Manger told reporters the man "had papers with him that he said was his intent to deliver ... to Congress."
D.C. police were investigating reports a person placed screws and nails in the road near a ballot box by Union Market.
And in Alexandria, fake Arlington Democrat sample ballots were handed out at some polling locations listing Democrats for each race except for Republican Jerry Torres, who is running against incumbent Rep. Don Beyer in the 8th District race.
- The ballots were "being passed out to mislead Democratic voters," Arlington Democrats said in a statement to the Washington Post.
- Torres told the Post he didn't know who was behind the ballots and that it did not "appear to be a campaign person."
Between the lines: Those who vetoed going outside in favor of abandoning all concepts of nutritional intake or time to doom scroll were met with generally unwell and unhinged vibes.
- The chronically online were thrilled to once again be reunited with everyone's favorite "map daddies," especially MSNBC's resident khakis-wearer Steve Kornacki, who got his own Kornacki Cam. (Take that, panda cam!)
- Meanwhile, viral hippo Moo Deng was suddenly on the outs with the liberal crowd after "casting" her "vote" for former President Trump.
Reality check: It wasn't all doom and gloom — moments of peace broke through the citywide anxiety, with people gathering at the National Cathedral's Election Day reflection service to pray for unity.