A follower holds a placard prior to Vice President Kamala Harris’s arrival to give a concession declaration for the 2024 presidential contest at Howard University in Washington, Nov. 6, 2024. J. Scott Applewhite/AP
The Democratic National Committee on Thursday issued a document analyzing the shortcomings for Democrats and then-Vice President Kamala Harris in their 2024 electoral defeat against President Donald Trump.
The analysis, undertaken by Democratic advisor Paul Rivera and strongly contested by the DNC, has been a point of contention for several months within the party. DNC head Ken Martin had initially reconsidered plans to unveil it publicly, stating that it would divert attention from future planning.
Earlier this month, ABC News detailed how numerous Democratic donors were displeased with Martin's leadership, including his hesitation to make the analysis public.
"Following the significant Democratic triumphs last November, I didn't intend to introduce a distraction, but by withholding the analysis, I ultimately created an even greater one," Martin stated in a release on Thursday. "For this, I offer my sincere apologies."
The document asserts that the campaign for former President Joe Biden failed to adequately position Harris for success.
A supporter carries a sign before Vice President Kamala Harris arrives to deliver a concession speech for the 2024 presidential election on the campus of Howard University in Washington, Nov. 6, 2024.J. Scott Applewhite/AP
The analysis indicates that "the White House did not effectively bolster [Harris] over three and a half years to elevate her standing before the candidate adjustment."
ABC News has contacted a representative for Harris seeking comment on the analysis. A spokesperson for Biden declined to offer comment.
The analysis claims that Democrats did not provide a compelling enough argument for why Trump should not have been re-elected as president, and that the Harris effort depended excessively on Trump being deemed "unacceptable," rather than arguing the rationale for electing Harris. It further states the Harris operation did not perform adequate outreach to rural or "irregular" voters, essentially disregarding them.
The assessment also alleges that Harris fared worse in comparison to Biden among young Latino and Black men because Harris overlooked those voters, while "the Harris drive appears to have largely concentrated on women."
Vice President Kamala Harris gestures as she delivers a concession speech for the 2024 presidential election, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, on the campus of Howard University in Washington.Stephanie Scarbrough/AP
It additionally asserts Democrats have inconsistent messaging on subjects and have not scheduled appropriately during campaigns, and this has produced a division where ballot initiatives concerning Democratic-backed issues (such as abortion access) have succeeded "in states where Democrats remain locked out of statewide governmental positions. This difference suggests that the Party and our candidates have forfeited the faith and confidence of voters."
Martin indicated he was releasing the analysis "as we obtained it" and that "it fails to meet my standards, and it won't meet your standards, but I am proceeding because individuals must be able to have confidence in the Democratic Party and rely on our word."
On each page of the analysis, there is a notice that reads, "Disclaimer: This document expresses the opinions of the writer, not the DNC. The DNC was not provided with the underlying sources, interviews, or supporting evidence for many of the claims contained within and therefore cannot independently substantiate the assertions presented."
Ken Martin speaks at the 2026 California Democratic Party State Convention in San Francisco, Feb. 21, 2026.Jeff Chiu/AP
Notably, the analysis does not delve into what impact the Israel-Gaza war may have exerted on the election, not even identifying the two nations by name, despite prior allegations by outside entities that the post-mortem was delayed due to its conclusions about voters becoming disillusioned with Democrats as a consequence of Biden's handling of the war.
The analysis further claims that attack advertisements from the Trump team that showcased Harris's advocacy for transgender rights proved effective during the 2024 campaign, mirroring earlier reports that highlighted the advertisements having a detrimental effect for Harris.
The concluding section of the analysis is absent, as the DNC's annotation states the "section was not furnished by the author." There are also multiple mistakes, as indicated by the DNC and ABC News' review, ranging from typographical errors, inaccurate numbers, and instances of purported campaign errors that the DNC claims are refuted by public reports.
The nature of the analysis itself has generated some negative reaction from Democrats.
"I believe the analysis is a catastrophe. The only thing more detrimental than the analysis explaining that the party is misguided on policy is the appearance of incompetence when evaluating what went amiss in 2024," a source involved in Democratic politics conveyed to ABC News.
"This post-mortem, and the months-long debate regarding whether to even release the analysis, is a disheartening farce," former DNC vice chair David Hogg, who departed from the committee last year after publicly disagreeing with Martin, expressed in a release where he urged Martin to step down.
CNN was the first to announce the analysis's release.
Sourse: abcnews.go.com