DNC releases post-election autopsy after internal pressure on Ken Martin

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The Democratic National Committee on Thursday released a long-delayed, 192-page post-election autopsy of its 2024 presidential campaign, criticizing Kamala Harris’ outreach and messaging strategy and igniting fresh anger over how DNC chair Ken Martin handled the report. AP reported that Martin had shared the document only after what it described as intense internal pressure from Democratic operatives, and that Democratic officials spent the day arguing about a two-year-old election while also facing other political challenges they said needed attention.

In a message on Substack, Martin wrote that he did not want the release to distract Democrats during the party’s focus on the November midterms, but that doing so “ended up creating an even bigger distraction.” He added, “And for that, I sincerely apologize.” AP reported that Martin also said the document was withheld because it “was not ready for primetime,” and that the DNC covered it with annotations and disclaimers saying it was incomplete and unsubstantiated.

The report’s release quickly prompted calls for changes at the top of the party’s national committee. AP reported that Dan Pfeiffer, a Democratic strategist and former senior adviser to President Barack Obama, wrote on social media that Martin “must go,” saying it was “hard to imagine anyone handling anything worse” than he did and calling the situation “a disaster of his own making.” AP also reported that Amanda Litman, who leads the Democratic-allied organization Run For Something, said the rollout and “coverup” reflected that Martin was “fundamentally not up to the task.”

While the autopsy’s criticisms centered on the campaign, AP said the reaction from Democrats was driven as much by frustration over what they saw as the slow release and handling of the document as by the findings themselves. AP reported that Martin, in a conversation with staff on Thursday, said the report’s primary author, consultant Paul Rivera, was no longer working with the DNC, citing a person on the call who was not authorized to speak publicly about the private discussion.

The autopsy, which AP said was first released by CNN, argued for a “renewed focus” on voters in Middle America and the South, saying they had come to believe they were not included in the Democratic vision for “a stronger and more dynamic America for everyone.” AP reported that it said millions of Americans faced what it described as poor access to healthcare, manufacturing and job losses, and failing infrastructure, and that they still voted against their own interests because they did not see themselves reflected in the Democratic Party.

Among the report’s campaign critiques, AP reported that it faulted Harris and her allies for not focusing enough on Donald Trump’s negatives, particularly his felony convictions. The report said Democrats made what it described as insufficient use of negative advertising, including a claim that there was “not sufficient or similar negative firepower directed at Trump by Democrats,” even though the Trump campaign and supportive Super PACs “went full throttle” against Harris, according to AP’s account of the report’s wording.

AP also reported that the autopsy included a specific criticism of Harris’ rural outreach. It said: “Harris wrote off rural America, assuming urban/suburban margins would compensate. The math doesn’t work,” and it added that Democrats “can’t lose rural areas by overwhelming margins” and make it up elsewhere because rural voters make up a significant share of the electorate. The report, AP said, also argued that candidates must “perform well in rural turf,” and it urged Democrats to “Show up, listen, and then do it again.”

The document also criticized the party’s approach to messaging beyond rural outreach, AP reported, including what it described as an “persistent inability or unwillingness to listen to all voters.” It also called for changes that it linked to turnout and organization efforts, including reductions in “support and training for Democratic state parties,” shifts in voter registration, and a decline tied to what it described as limited listening.

AP reported that the DNC’s autopsy did not address some elements Democrats said they expected. It said the report did not address former President Joe Biden’s decision to seek reelection, the rushed selection of Harris after he dropped out, or the party’s acrimonious divide over the war in Gaza. AP reported that Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said the Gaza omission was “notable” and declined to back Martin when asked by AP whether she supported his leadership, adding, “I’m glad that there’s something out,” and that it “of course” took a long time.

The released autopsy landed as Martin confronted what AP described as a crisis of confidence among party officials, with some operatives discussing informally recruiting a new chair even as many said Martin’s job was not in serious jeopardy ahead of the midterms. The report’s contents and the speed and manner of its release both reinforced the questions within the party about what the Democratic leadership should prioritize next and who is best positioned to drive it.