The report calls the party’s rural strategy ‘mathematically indefensible’ and says anti-Trump messaging is not enough to win elections.
The Democratic National Committee (DNC) on May 21 released its long-buried 2024 election autopsy, with DNC Chair Ken Martin apologizing for shelving the document late last year and distancing himself from its contents.
“I am not proud of this product; it does not meet my standards, and it won’t meet your standards,” Martin said in a statement published alongside the release.
“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.”
The 192-page report, titled “Build to Win. Build to Last,” was released as Martin “received it—in its entirety, unedited and unabridged – with annotations for claims that couldn’t be verified,” he said.
Several major sections of the document are missing or incomplete. The executive summary, conclusion, and appendices each carry the notation, “This section was not provided by the author.”
A “notes for the reader page” is marked, “This section was not completed.” The introduction and national overview of the “What Happened (Electoral Review)” section are also marked as not provided. The sources page states: “Sources, interview materials, and other evidence not provided.”
A disclaimer appears at the top of nearly 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.”
Inline annotations throughout state-by-state breakdowns flag passages with “no evidence provided” for many claims, numbers that “appear inaccurate based on public data,” and assertions that “contradict public reporting.”
The report, as released, contains no mention of Gaza, Israel, or the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC); topics that have repeatedly surfaced in intraparty disputes over the autopsy.
Axios reported in April that the review found the Biden administration’s Gaza policy cost Vice President Kamala Harris significant support, particularly among young and progressive voters. The Epoch Times has not been able to verify what the original review contained on that subject.
What the report does say is blunt. Democrats lost support among the working class and stopped showing up in much of the country.
“The Harris campaign appears to have relied on Trump being unacceptable rather than building an affirmative case for Harris,” the report stated. “Base voters needed reasons to vote FOR Harris as well as against Trump. Without an effective contrast with a difficult (and unaffordable) status quo, the obvious contrast with Trump was not a sufficient motivator, especially since there was not sufficient negative messaging about how horrible Trump was (and still is) for and to most Americans.”
The party’s media strategy, the report argues, funds its own opposition—claiming Democrats pay billions to advertise on television networks and digital platforms owned by Republicans or right-wing investors. “Republicans own and Democrats rent,” it says.
The report points to two Democratic governors who won in 2024—Josh Stein in North Carolina and Bob Ferguson in Washington—as proof of what works. Both ran on housing costs, grocery prices, and public safety. Stein won North Carolina even as Harris lost the state to Trump. The report calls their wins “blueprints” for future candidates.
The report also says the party’s rural strategy is “mathematically indefensible.”
Anti-Trump messaging, it says, has hit its limits and must be replaced with concrete plans rather than “vibes.” Male voters—including male voters of color—cannot be assumed to fall in line on identity politics and need direct engagement on the economy.
Voters who skip cycles are not turnout problems but swing voters who need persuasion year-round. And demographics aren’t destiny: Latino voters shifted Republican nationally in 2024 but moved Democratic in places like North Carolina with the right candidate.
By Chase Smith
