New York — It’s never a good sign when a report comes with a big red disclaimer at the top of every page, but that’s what happened Thursday when the Democratic National Committee Released late Controversial autopsy report on 2024 election.
“This document reflects the views of the author, not the views of the Democratic National Committee,” the disclaimer said. “The DNC was not provided with primary sources, interviews, or supporting data for many of the assertions made here, and therefore cannot independently verify the claims made.”
It is an ominous sign for a document that has caused a lot of heartburn. Ken Martin, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, had originally promised to release the autopsy, then decided to keep it secret because he said he didn’t want to cause distraction before the midterms.
After months of hand scrubbingMartin released the report on Thursday, saying it was withheld only because it was so poorly prepared.
After all that, what is in the report? Here are some takeaways from the 192 pages.
The report is far from comprehensive, and it avoids some of the more important factors in the 2024 race.
For example, the resolution does not address President Joe Biden’s decision to run for a second term when he turns 81 Widespread concerns about his age. Biden It leaked After a Discussion performance falteredIt was Harris Wipe it quickly To replace it at the top of the ticket.
After serving as Biden’s vice president, Harris was seen in some corners as a natural choice for Biden New filter. But the report does not address remaining concerns that the process was rushed or should have been handled in a more deliberate manner.
Perhaps most notably, the words “Gaza” and “Israel” do not appear anywhere in the text. Democrats suffered from Internal disputes over the conflict, which sapped enthusiasm for Harris among voters upset by the Biden administration’s support for Israel.
Rep. Debbie Dingell of Michigan, a state in which A large Arab-American populationHe said it was wrong to ignore the issue at a time when Jewish and Muslim communities are dealing with growing hatred.
“We can’t turn heads,” she said. “We have to deal with it.”
The report found that the Biden White House did not “appoint or prepare the vice president” in a way that would allow her to lead a successful campaign.
It wasn’t until after Biden announced his withdrawal from the race in July that the campaign’s polling team scrambled to get new public opinion in three key areas — “one on the vice president’s resume and record, one on her vision and plan, and another on attacks and responses.”
The team also decided that Harris didn’t have an answer On a sensitive issue: Anti-transgender attacks in the Trump campaign. Specifically, the report highlighted pollsters’ belief that the Democratic nominee was “boxed in” by Republicans’ “highly effective” ad highlighting Harris’ past support for taxpayer-funded gender-affirming surgeries for prison inmates.
“Kamala is for them, and President Trump is for you,” the ad read.
“If the Vice President did not change her position — and she did not — there would be nothing that could amount to a response,” the report said.
There was no shortage of criticism of Harris’ campaign following her defeat. Some Democrats believe she spent too much time campaigning Republicans like Liz CheneyOthers think it lacks A strong economic message.
The autopsy report reaches a different conclusion, saying not enough was done to convince voters that Trump was an unacceptable candidate.
“There was a decision in the 2024 Democratic leadership not to engage in negative advertising on the scale required,” the report said. “The Trump campaign and supporting political action committees did their best against Vice President Harris, but there was not enough or similar negative firepower directed at Trump by Democrats.”
On another point, the report says: “Democrats made a mistake in assuming that voters were already aware of Trump’s various weaknesses.
“The idea that was ‘hidden’ in Trump’s negatives is a major failure of analysis and reality,” the report says.
The Democratic National Committee leadership apparently didn’t like these conclusions, adding clarifying comments like “No evidence provided; contradicts claims elsewhere in report” and “No sources or evidence provided.”
The report criticized Harris’ communication with Major sectors in America While including a few sarcastic references to “identity politics.” The document raises serious concerns about Latinos in particular.
“Democrats can no longer assume that Latino voters, especially young Latinos, are a reliable part of their base,” the report says. “The party needs to completely rethink its Latino outreach strategy, moving beyond traditional tactics like Spanish-language ads and late-cycle alternatives.”
The report points to successful statewide Democratic candidates in Arizona, Nevada, and North Carolina, who showed that “economic messaging and addressing concerns about the cost of living resonate more than just identity politics.”
The autopsy also highlighted Democrats’ poor performance with men.
“Male voters need direct participation,” the report says. “The gender gap can be narrowed.” “Deploy male messengers, address economic concerns, and don’t assume identity politics will appeal to male voters of color.”
Harris also had no answers for the party’s struggle with rural voters.
“Harris has written off rural America, assuming that urban/suburban margins will make up. The math doesn’t work,” the report says. “You can’t lose rural areas by a large margin and then make up for it somewhere else when rural voters make up a large share of the electorate. If Democrats are to regain leadership in the Heartland or the South, candidates will have to do well in rural areas. Show up, listen, and do it again.”
_____ Writer Joey Cappelletti contributed from Washington