DNC autopsy turns on Biden's inner circle over Kamala Harris's failed White House bid
WASHINGTON, DC: Amid severe criticism from party members and donors on the Democratic National Committee (DNC) to release the autopsy of the 2024 presidential election, Chair Ken Martin released the report on Thursday, May 21.
The report, commissioned after the Democrats’ defeat in the 2024 presidential election, reveals that the party’s infighting played a key role in the 2024 failure, as allies of former President Joe Biden failed to give former Vice President Kamala Harris the needed support.
Democrats did not properly support Kamala Harris
The DNC report reveals that Biden’s inner circle and allies did not spend enough time strengthening Harris’ public image during the years she served as vice president.
The report further stated that Biden’s team failed to do enough polling and research beforehand to understand whether Harris was a strong replacement candidate if Biden exited the race.
Autopsy also revealed that Democrats were not prepared for Biden suddenly stepping aside as the presidential candidate, leaving only 147 days for Harris to run her campaign, resulting in her crushing defeat against President Donald Trump.
Biden admin failed to counter GOP attack on Kamala Harris
“The national campaign did not effectively drive Trump’s negatives, and the White House did not effectively support Vice President Harris over three and a half years to improve her standing before the candidate switch,” the report read, while arguing that Harris’ immigration portfolio had been “poorly framed by Republicans.”
“It [‘Border czar’] was not the official title, but it was the one that the media propagated, and the White House failed to contradict or correct,” the report added.
One of the notable points from the report highlighted what helped the GOP to rise to power. It stated, "The GOP’s victory in 2024 largely came down to its ability to learn more from President [Barack] Obama’s victory [in 2008] than Democrats did."
“The GOP’s campaign was powered by data, amplified by social media, and enabled by ardent supporters at every level,” the report revealed.
Ken Martin says report lacked sources and supporting materials
In a statement accompanying the release, Martin acknowledged the backlash and apologized for how the situation was handled.
“When I was elected DNC chair, I commissioned an after action review of the 2024 election that I wanted to be honest and transparent, and with actionable and specific takeaways for the future of the Democratic Party,” Ken Martin said.
He explained that after reviewing the document late last year, he concluded it was incomplete and lacked sufficient sourcing and supporting material.
The draft by former Bill Clinton strategist Paul Rivera was missing several sections and critical information, such as a list of the supposed 12,000 interviewees and data citations.
