Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chair Ken Martin released an autopsy report of the 2024 presidential election.
Martin noted he did not support the findings but said he wanted to ensure transparency, per The Hill,
Martin’s was met with blowback for initially saying he would not publicly release the report of what went wrong after former Vice President Kamala Harris’s lost to President Donald Trump.
“When I received the report late last year, it wasn’t ready for primetime. Not even close,” Martin said in a statement.
He said he did not want to create a distraction for the party by releasing the report after the party’s 2025 wins.
“And because no source material was provided, fixing it would have meant starting over, from the beginning – every conversation, every interview, every data set,” he continued.
“I am not proud of this product; it does not meet my standards, and it won’t meet your standards,” he added “I don’t endorse what’s in this report, or what’s left out of it.
“I could not in good faith put the DNC’s stamp of approval on it. But transparency is paramount. So, today I am releasing the report as I received it – in its entirety, unedited and unabridged – with annotations for claims that couldn’t be verified.”
The report included a disclaimer, stating, “This document reflects the views of the author, not the DNC. The DNC was not provided with the underlying sourcing, interviews, or supporting data for many of the assertions contained herein and therefore cannot independently verify the claims presented.”
The report was built from contributions of more than 300 organizations and individuals, who participated in virtual or in-person interviews.
The report also includes annotations that suggest there are errors in the report, including one that reads “No source material or data provided. Unsourced claims cannot be independently verified.”
Findings and suggestions in the report include the idea that the party has “vacillated between stagnation and retrogression” since former President Barack Obama’s win in 2008 win.
The report added the party’s accumulation of narrow losses have increasingly handed Republicans a greater amount of power.
It also blames “inconsistent messaging and improper planning” for the party’s losses.
The report also said the party can’t rely on Democrats who run against controversial and flawed Republicans.
“Regaining trust and confidence in the Party – where voters have an affirmative reason to support Democrats – will take a comprehensive strategy and considerable effort over multiple cycles,” the report read. “Democrats need to do it and do it right now, because the future could become even more difficult.”
