Washington — The Democratic National Committee on Thursday released a long-awaited autopsy on the 2024 election that party chair Ken Martin has kept under wraps for months, bowing to pressure to unveil a document that has become a source of consternation for many Democrats.
“How, we all asked, could Democrats have lost to Donald Trump again? How did we blow through billions of dollars? And where do we go from here?” Martin said in a statement announcing the release. “When I commissioned a comprehensive review of the 2024 election, I started a process to answer those questions while interrogating where our party has systemically and historically fallen short.”
But Martin said he is “not proud” of the final product because it “does not meet my standards.” He said he was releasing it because “transparency is paramount.”
The final document is 192 pages long, and includes this disclaimer on every page: “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.”
“When I received the report late last year, it wasn’t ready for primetime. Not even close. And because no source material was provided, fixing it would have meant starting over, from the beginning — every conversation, every interview, every data set,” Martin said.
The chairman explained his decision to initially withhold the report by saying he did not want to “create a distraction” following Democratic victories in last year’s elections and heading into this year’s midterms.
“Ironically, in doing so, I ended up creating an even bigger distraction. And for that, I sincerely apologize,” he said.
Democrats are grappling with intra-party divisions ahead of what many expect could be a “wave year” for them. For example, in Pennsylvania’s 3rd District — the most Democratic-leaning district in the country — progressive candidate Chris Rabb won Tuesday’s primary for retiring Rep. Dwight Evans’ seat, defeating three others, including the former chair of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party.