It has been a year and a half since the second female Democratic nominee for president lost to what her party views as an existential threat. Since then, President Donald Trump’s defeat of former Vice President Kamala Harris has been dissected at length. After much criticism and mounting public pressure, the Democratic National Committee finally released the long-awaited 2024 election autopsy. Both the delay and the report make the incompetence even more glaring. DNC Chairman Ken Martin was supposed to release it not long after taking over in February 2025. The most recent delay was due to the proximity of the midterm elections on Nov. 3, 2026. However, Martin requested the report more than a year ago. Then, in November 2025, Martin decided not to release it. As Intelligencer reported, “Martin announced that he would not release it after all, arguing — rather unconvincingly — that it would not be productive to dwell on the past.” In a post on X following the report’s release, Martin attempted to deflect blame. Not only does he try to explain why he delayed the release twice, but that it “does not meet my standards, and it won’t meet your standards.”
It says much about Democrats that they didn’t want to reveal what they know about why they lost. It says even more that the DNC chairman admits everyone will be disappointed by the incomplete product. Leadership is publicly distancing itself from it. The report reached conclusions that highlight the party’s inability to connect with regular Americans. And while they try to tiptoe around it, it seems they’ve privately accepted that Harris was not a great choice.
