CNN contributor David Axelrod said Wednesday that he wanted to be “absolutely blunt” about how “racism” and “sexism” had undermined Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign and led to Republican nominee Donald Trump’s stunning victory.

In his discussion of Harris’ failed efforts, the former chief campaign advisor to President Barack Obama suggested Americans needed to admit that race and gender prejudice played a role in the campaign's loss. “Let‘s be honest about this, okay, let’s be absolutely blunt about it. There were appeals to racism in this campaign, and there is racial bias in this country and there is sexism in this country, and anybody who thinks that that did not in any way impact on the outcome of this race is wrong.”

“I am not saying that was the main reason that Kamala Harris lost and Donald Trump won. I think they ran, honestly, strategically, his campaign, and I said many times, they ran a very smart campaign. It was ultimately a rational, well-conceived and well-executed campaign for an often irrational candidate, and they overcame him to sell his message or the message that they thought he should be selling to the country. But let‘s not confuse what this was and wasn‘t. Let‘s be very clear-eyed about it.”

Co-panelist Jones also said race was a factor in Harris’ loss. “There is a license that [Trump] had to just be a fool, just to be an obnoxious a** to everyone,” Jones insisted, saying that other candidates would not be allowed that kind of latitude. He spoke of Harris being well qualified for the presidency because of her background as a DA, state attorney general, senator and vice president. But “she is not Oprah or Beyoncé.”

The Harris campaign remained optimistic about winning the presidency even as polls were on the verge of closing Tuesday evening, with her senior advisor announcing on MSNBC that the vice president would be “installed” as the next president of the United States.