The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is conducting a post-election review of its 2024 presidential defeat, having begun briefing top Democrats on the findings of its post-election analysis. The committee has identified several critical factors contributing to the loss, including the late investment in campaign spending, the mid-battle switch of candidates, and an insufficient emphasis on addressing voters’ top concerns. The review, which is still in progress and not yet fully released, is expected to examine the party’s organizational and strategic shortcomings, while also considering the dynamics of the media and voter engagement.
The DNC officials argue that the party failed to engage and persuade voters effectively, with the switch of Joe Biden with Kamala Harris at the top of the ticket exacerbating existing systemic issues. The party’s failure to address voters’ top issues, such as the economy and immigration, led to losses among key constituencies, including working-class voters. One of the people briefed on the report described the assessment as indicating that Democrats “didn’t talk enough about bread-and-butter issues, and instead, we talked about social issues, social anxieties.” This critique could lead to a broader examination of the Harris campaign’s messaging, which some Democrats believe overly emphasized abortion and democracy over economic and immigration concerns.
The DNC is not expected to release its full post-election report until after the New Jersey and Virginia elections in November, as the committee focuses on these off-year races. The report will likely analyze the role of Democrats in the media ecosystem, advocacy, organizing, and technology, along with making recommendations for improvement. It will also assess paid content, messaging, candidate travel, and spending decisions from last year. One of the people briefed stated that the takeaways emphasize the importance of long-term investment over late investment, noting that the issue for the Democratic side is not a lack of money, but rather how late it comes.
However, the findings do not fully align with some realities observed in the campaign. For instance, the Biden campaign maintained a skeletal on-the-ground staff in some battleground states, raising concerns among in-state Democrats. Yet, the campaign also began communicating with voters earlier than any modern presidential campaign, spending significant amounts on advertising in September 2023 and March 2024. Despite this, the report’s conclusions may not address the party’s internal divisions over responsibility for the loss, with some Democrats pointing fingers at consultants, the Harris campaign, and super PAC Future Forward, while others call for a more aggressive reevaluation of the DNC’s role.
The DNC’s post-mortem is also expected to examine the party’s role in the media ecosystem, particularly how Democrats tend to withdraw from public engagement during off-years, unlike Republicans. The report may also consider the impact of Biden’s age, a major GOP attack line, which was a focus of criticism during his debate performance. However, the DNC has not yet named any individuals or entities, with one person acknowledging that the final document may reveal more. These briefings are also being used to prepare for upcoming state elections, where the DNC plans to implement new voter contact strategies and assess the quality and timing of voter persuasion tactics.