Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin on Thursday released the party's autopsy report on the 2024 election after facing intense pressure to do so.
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The report details problems that plagued the Democratic Party in the last presidential election, including messaging that “created tensions with key constituencies†on the economy, late-arriving efforts to organize voters on the ground, a lack of alignment between the party's main super PAC and then-Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign, and more.
Meanwhile, the autopsy itself has already caused strains within the party. Martin had been pummeled in public for months after he promised to release the report and then reversed course in December, saying he would not do so.
Those concerns stretched to the top levels of the Democratic Party. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Martin spoke about a week ago about the autopsy. At the time, according to two sources with knowledge of the call, Shapiro relayed he was unhappy that Martin had not released the report and was not being transparent. Martin was rattled by this call, according to the sources.
The DNC declined to comment on the episode.
DNC members had previously told NBC News they were promised a summary of the findings from Martin and expressed concern that he had gone quiet on the subject.
On Thursday, Martin apologized.
“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,†Martin said. “When I received the report late last year, it wasn't ready for primetime — not even close — and because no source material was provided, it would have meant starting over.â€
Martin went on: “I could not in good faith put the DNC's stamp of approval on the report that was produced. After last November's massive Democratic wins, I didn't want to create a distraction, but by not putting the report out, I ended up creating an even bigger distraction. For that, I sincerely apologize.â€
“For full transparency,†Martin continued, “I am releasing the report as we received it, in its entirety, unedited and unabridged. It does not meet my standards, and it won't meet your standards, but I am doing this because people need to be able to trust the Democratic Party and trust our word.â€
Hours later, Martin addressed DNC members in a call and told them that Paul Rivera, the report author, no longer “is with or advises the DNC in any capacity,†according to a source on the call.
“I apologize. Being a leader at any level means you own every single mistake — those of your creation and frankly those not of your creation,†Martin said. “This was a major mistake. I own it, and now it's time for us to move forward at the DNC, and I hope that you'll move forward with me.â€
Martin did not give an option for members to weigh in on the matter.
CNN first published the copy of the report.
Calls to release the report grew louder after Harris signaled to donors in conversations that she supported a public release of what went wrong in her losing 2024 campaign. One DNC member said they thought that was the tipping point for Martin. Martin told people on a call this morning, according to a person with knowledge of the call, that when he saw that candidates were getting asked to respond about the situation, he realized it was a distraction that had now expanded.
Liberal groups like RootsAction had engaged in a letter-writing campaign for weeks, flooding the accounts of DNC members with thousands of emails demanding that the autopsy be released.
RootsAction blasted the report upon its release Thursday, with co-founder Jeff Cohen saying in a statement: “This alleged autopsy is almost worthless. There's no mention of the Biden/Harris administration's Israel policy that abetted the Gaza massacre. That cost votes, and helped Trump win.†Cohen also criticized the lack of criticism of President Joe Biden's decision to run for a second term or of Harris' “lack of principles.â€
Margaret DeReus, the executive director of the IMEU Policy Project, also criticized Martin in a statement. “Ken Martin should release the information that the author of the autopsy told us clearly and unambiguously, which is that DNC officials' review of their own data found Biden's support for Israel to be a net-negative for Democrats in 2024.â€
Florida DNC member Allison Minnerly, who was among the most vocal committee members about wanting the report released, said: “Ultimately while this is an unfinished report, the DNC is being forced to respond to public pressure. Anybody who feels that organizing can be tiring and exhausting, this is proof that with consistent pressure, the status quo does have to respond. The pressure worked.â€
How the release got delayed
Martin had handpicked Rivera, a Democratic strategist, to take charge of the autopsy. Rivera was not paid to do the autopsy, Martin has said.
Among the hang-ups that had prevented the earlier release of the report: The DNC had demanded, but never received, a list of people who were interviewed, a source with knowledge of what transpired said.
The source added that the committee never received transcripts or notes of interviews, either, despite multiple requests.
“I believe that Ken did the right thing by releasing the report. Ken has decided to release the entire report in spite of the fact that it is not up to his standards or the DNC standards. The reason he has released the entire report was for the sake of transparency,†Chris Korge, DNC finance chair, said. “We are literally a few months away from the midterm elections and this distraction needs to finally go away.â€
The on-again, off-again autopsy is the latest negative storyline for a DNC that's found itself on the defensive for much of Martin's term as chairman.
Martin clashed early on with the DNC's new vice chair, Gen Z activist David Hogg, over the chairman's push to have party officers agree to a neutrality pledge in primaries. The party also invalidated the election of Hogg and Vice Chair Malcolm Kenyatta over a procedural complaint, and Hogg ultimately chose not to run again, focusing instead on his own political group, which has at times supported challenges to Democratic incumbents.
Meanwhile, the Republican National Committee has amassed a significant fundraising lead this election cycle, raising $247 million, spending $161 million and banking away $123.9 million with no debt, new filings show.
The DNC has raised $189 million and spent almost $197 million through April, leaving it with about $14.4 million in cash reserves and $17.5 million in debt, according to campaign finance reports filed Wednesday.
Martin defenders have pointed to the string of Democratic victories and overperformances in special elections in President Donald Trump's second term, as well as the party's decision to increase funding for state party organizations, as signs they're on the right path.
Inside the report
Much of the 200-page draft autopsy report doesn't focus directly on the 2024 election — it includes a lengthy recap of modern American political history dating to the 2008 presidential election, historic fundraising and spending data from past elections, and more.
But the report also includes significant discussion of what the author believes went wrong for Democrats in 2024.
The diagnosis includes underfunded state parties and Democratic declines in voter registration. The report also stated that a “persistent inability or unwillingness to listen to all voters has provided the other major party with opportunities for advancement at the expense of Democratic growth, evolution, and ability to find common ground with seemingly disparate groups of voters from coast to coast, and the heartland Democrats tend to ignore.â€
The report also criticizes Democrats for relying too heavily on Republicans to “nominate deeply flawed candidates,†adding that “regaining trust and confidence in the party†and giving voters an “affirmative reason to support Democrats†will “take a comprehensive strategy and considerable effort over multiple cycles.â€
In a text message, North Carolina Democratic Party chair Anderson Clayton wrote that the report underlines the importance of “showing up in places we have left behind†and “defining what it means to be a Democrat and giving the people something to fight for — not just against.â€
The draft release includes annotations from the DNC, which make clear the deep frustration seeping out of the party headquarters at the report.
The annotations flag factual errors, including incorrect election results. They also question assumptions and push back on claims the annotators say were written in without evidence. For example, the report's finding that “the national campaign did not effectively drive Trump's negatives, and the White House did not effectively support Vice President Harris over three and half years to improve her standing before the candidate switch.â€
“No evidence provided for these claims,†the DNC annotation beside that sentence reads.
