Michigan Democratic Election watch party ends as races remain undecided

DETROIT, MI — The Michigan Democratic Party election watch event here began emptying out about 1 a.m. after a U.S. Senate candidate told the crowd to get some rest and prepare for a long wait until final results are announced.

Elissa Slotkin was still in the running but trailing Republican Mike Rogers in votes by about 4 percentage points — with 58% of votes counted — when she addressed the crowd at the Motor City Casino Sound Board Theater in downtown Detroit in the early hours of Wednesday, Nov. 6.

"We always knew this was going to be a tight race, and that is exactly what we're seeing unfold in front of us," Slotkin told the crowd of hundreds. "There are a lot of votes left to count. This happens in every single election. So, my message to you all is to get some rest, hunker down; we've got a long way to go."

Officials said there were no more speakers expected to address the crowd, which began exiting the casino about six hours after the event launched.

The mood for much of the event was jubilant inside the Sound Board Theater, even as some top state races — including Slotkin's matchup — showed Republicans taking leads as Election Day concluded.

Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee for president, also saw a lead slip to Republican Donald Trump, although that race also was too early to call at the time the watch party dispersed.

Guests began arriving at the Motown Records-themed theater about an hour before the Election Day polls closed at 8 p.m. , when attendees began paying closer attention to the national TV news feeds projected onto multiple screens across the room.

By then, those news feeds were showing early electoral college vote results from other states, where Trump enjoyed an electoral college lead very early in what could be a long results-tabulating election process.

The gathering featured DJs playing Motown Records-produced music, a smorgasbord of food options, and an atmosphere that at times resembled an after-hours club. Hundreds of people attended the gathering.

The crowd received updates and encouraging words throughout the evening and early-morning hours from high-profile Democrats including Pete Buttigieg, the U.S. Secretary of Transportation; Debbie Stabenow, the retiring U.S. Senator Slotkin hopes to replace; Michigan Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist; Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan; and U.S. Sen. Gary Peters.

"It's about working hard; it's about being tenacious," Peters told the crowd about 10 p.m. Tuesday. "I just want to thank all of you for all the work you've done."

United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain, one of the first Michigan leaders to endorse Harris and a frequent presenter at the vice president's campaign events, also addressed the crowd.

"We ran the biggest campaign in my lifetime," Fain told attendees about 10 p.m. Tuesday. "This hard work has paid off. When we get a win, it will be because of the hard work that we all put in."

Michigan Supreme Court Justice candidates Kyra Harris Bolden and Kimberly Ann Thomas addressed the gathering about midnight. Both candidates enjoyed leads in their respective elections when they spoke, although the Associated Press as of this report has not declared victory for them.