DNC Releases 2024 Autopsy on Kamala Harris Loss, Al Jazeera Calls It Incomplete

The Democratic National Committee released a long-awaited report examining why former Vice President Kamala Harris failed to beat Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election, but Al Jazeera said the document was incomplete and inconclusive, with factual mistakes and annotations questioning its assertions.

“The Democratic Party in the United States has released its long-awaited report examining why former Vice President Kamala Harris failed to beat Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election”

Al Jazeera

DNC Chair Ken Martin acknowledged the report’s shortcomings and said, “I am not proud of this product; it does not meet my standards, and it won’t meet your standards,” while also releasing it “as I received it – in its entirety, unedited and unabridged.”

Al Jazeera

CNN published a copy of the DNC’s 2024 autopsy and said the version it obtained was written by Democratic strategist Paul Rivera, with CNN noting that it “has not modified the report and does not vouch for the accuracy of any statements within the report.”

The New York Times described the DNC’s draft as nearly 200 pages and said it was widely seen as a poorly executed examination, with a bright red disclaimer on each page that the D.N.C. “was not provided with the underlying sourcing, interviews, or supporting data for many of the assertions contained herein.”

Al Jazeera said the autopsy had “Zero mentions of Gaza” and that “there are zero mentions of Gaza and Israel in the 192 pages of the autopsy report,” framing it as a major omission in a campaign where Gaza policy was described as contentious.

Rob Flaherty, who served as Harris’s deputy campaign manager, wrote in The Bulwark publications on Substack that “For many voters watching the horrific, painful footage out of Gaza, it became a moral question – one we didn’t have a good answer for,” and Al Jazeera tied that to reduced enthusiasm.

CNN

The Guardian reported that the slapdash nature of the autopsy omitted Joe Biden’s decision to run for a second term and failed to mention the words “Gaza” or “Israel,” while also saying Democratic members of Congress called for Martin to stand down.

In the same Guardian coverage, Seth Moulton of Massachusetts told Axios, “He should resign,” because of “his lack of leadership,” as the party faced a crisis of confidence over the report’s handling.

The draft autopsy released by the DNC placed blame for Harris’s defeat partly on former President Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s political operation, arguing that it “did not position her for success in the race after Mr. Biden dropped out,” according to The New York Times.

“The draft, begrudgingly released by the DNC on Thursday, made no mention of Biden’s advanced age or evidence of his cognitive decline; Harris’ pick of Minnesota Gov”

New York Post

The Hill reported that the autopsy said, “The White House did not position or prepare the Vice President,” and it quoted Democratic consultant Paul Rivera describing how three broad surveys were conducted but that the Harris ticket was never given a briefing on the findings.

CNN said the DNC withheld the report until presented with CNN’s reporting about much of its contents, and it added that after publication Martin told DNC staff that Rivera was no longer associated with the committee, according to a person familiar with the matter.

The Guardian said Martin assigned the latest report to Paul Rivera on a part-time and unpaid basis, while also quoting Norm Solomon calling it “a shambles. Stunningly third rate,” and describing the problem as giving “one guy who happens to be your friend” and letting it sit when “garbage is submitted.”