Dems Sat On Their 2024 Autopsy For A Year. Now We Know Why.
The Daily Wire
Last updated: May 22, 2026
Democrats released a 192-page autopsy that portrays the party as facing a growing disconnect with voters, not just a postmortem on Trump. It critiques Kamala Harris and the party's messaging, signaling that voters may not embrace the Democrats even where policy is popular.
- Key findings include inconsistent messaging and improper planning that coincided with losses at all levels, even as the party's policies earned voter support at the ballot box. It criticizes overreliance on anti-Trump messaging and says the White House did not sufficiently back Harris over three and half years to improve her standing. It rejects the notion that Trump's negatives were baked in, noting his favorability declined early in this term.
- Demographically, Harris underperformed among men and several subgroups. The autopsy cites that down-ballot Democrats outperformed Harris with men—North Carolina Democrat Josh Stein won 51% of male voters to Harris's 40%—and notes struggles with young men, Latino men, irregular voters, rural voters, and working-class Americans.
- The report favors candidates who focus on public safety, affordability, housing, and the economy over identity politics. It acknowledges Democrats became too dependent on anti-Trump energy, noting that anti-Trump sentiment alone did not motivate enough voters in 2024.
