{"id":48379,"date":"2026-05-21T13:27:29","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T20:27:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/?p=48379"},"modified":"2026-05-21T13:27:30","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T20:27:30","slug":"dnc-releases-2024-autopsy-with-chair-apologizing-for-creating-an-even-bigger-distraction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2026\/05\/21\/dnc-releases-2024-autopsy-with-chair-apologizing-for-creating-an-even-bigger-distraction\/","title":{"rendered":"DNC releases 2024 autopsy, with chair apologizing for \u2018creating an even bigger distraction\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

DNC Chair Ken Martin had been pummeled in public for months after he promised to release the report and then reversed course in December.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"DNC<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Ken Martin, chair of the Democratic National Committee, in 2025.Bill Clark \/ Getty Images<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Add NBC News to Google<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

May 21, 2026 (NBCNews.com)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Natasha Korecki<\/a> and Ben Kamisar<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin on Thursday released the party\u2019s\u00a0autopsy report on the 2024 election\u00a0<\/a>after facing intense pressure to do so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Link to report: https:\/\/democrats.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/May-20<\/a>-2026.pdf<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The report details problems that plagued the Democratic Party in the last presidential election, including messaging that \u201ccreated tensions with key constituencies\u201d on the economy, late-arriving efforts to organize voters on the ground, a lack of alignment between the party\u2019s main super PAC and then-Vice President Kamala Harris\u2019 campaign, and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the autopsy itself has already caused strains within the party. Martin had been pummeled in public for months after he promised to release the report and then reversed course in December, saying he would not do so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\/<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Cory Booker says Democrats should \u2018release the autopsy\u2019 on Kamala Harris\u2019 failed bid<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those concerns stretched to the top levels of the Democratic Party. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Martin spoke about a week ago about the autopsy. At the time, according to two sources with knowledge of the call, Shapiro relayed he was unhappy that Martin had not released the report and was not being transparent. Martin was rattled by this call, according to the sources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The DNC declined to comment on the episode.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

DNC members had previously told NBC News they were promised<\/a> a summary of the findings from Martin and expressed concern that he had gone quiet <\/strong>on the subject.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Thursday, Martin apologized<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I was elected DNC chair, I commissioned an after action review of the 2024 election that I wanted to be honest and transparent, and with actionable and specific takeaways for the future of the Democratic Party,\u201d Martin said. \u201cWhen I received the report late last year, it wasn\u2019t ready for primetime \u2014 not even close \u2014 and because no source material was provided, it would have meant starting over.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Martin went on: \u201cI could not in good faith put the DNC\u2019s stamp of approval on the report that was produced. After last November\u2019s massive Democratic wins, I didn\u2019t want to create a distraction, but by not putting the report out, I ended up creating an even bigger distraction. For that, I sincerely apologize.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor full transparency,\u201d Martin continued, \u201cI am releasing the report as we received it, in its entirety, unedited and unabridged. It does not meet my standards, and it won\u2019t meet your standards, but I am doing this because people need to be able to trust the Democratic Party and trust our word.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hours later, Martin addressed DNC members in a call and told them that Paul Rivera, the report author, no longer \u201cis with or advises the DNC in any capacity,\u201d according to a source on the call.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI apologize. Being a leader at any level means you own every single mistake \u2014 those of your creation and frankly those not of your creation,\u201d Martin said. \u201cThis was a major mistake. I own it, and now it\u2019s time for us to move forward at the DNC, and I hope that you\u2019ll move forward with me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Martin did not give an option for members to weigh in on the matter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CNN first published<\/a> the copy of the report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Calls to release the report grew louder after Harris signaled to donors in conversations<\/a> that she supported a public release of what went wrong in her losing 2024 campaign. One DNC member said they thought that was the tipping point for Martin. Martin told people on a call this morning, according to a person with knowledge of the call, that when he saw that candidates were getting asked to respond about the situation, he realized it was a distraction that had now expanded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Liberal groups like RootsAction had engaged in a letter-writing campaign for weeks, flooding the accounts of DNC members with thousands of emails demanding that the autopsy be released.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

RootsAction blasted the report upon its release Thursday, with co-founder Jeff Cohen saying in a statement: \u201cThis alleged autopsy is almost worthless. There\u2019s no mention of the Biden\/Harris administration\u2019s Israel policy that abetted the Gaza massacre. That cost votes, and helped Trump win.\u201d Cohen also criticized the lack of criticism of President Joe Biden\u2019s decision to run for a second term or of Harris\u2019 \u201clack of principles.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Margaret DeReus, the executive director of the IMEU Policy Project, also criticized Martin in a statement. \u201cKen Martin should release the information that the author of the autopsy told us clearly and unambiguously, which is that DNC officials\u2019 review of their own data found Biden\u2019s support for Israel to be a net-negative for Democrats in 2024.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Florida DNC member Allison Minnerly, who was among the most vocal committee members about wanting the report released, said: \u201cUltimately while this is an unfinished report, the DNC is being forced to respond to public pressure. Anybody who feels that organizing can be tiring and exhausting, this is proof that with consistent pressure, the status quo does have to respond. The pressure worked.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How the release got delayed<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Martin had handpicked Rivera, a Democratic strategist, to take charge of the autopsy. Rivera was not paid to do the autopsy, Martin has said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recommended<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani is launching a chat show on Twitch<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\/<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Live updates: Senate stalls on ICE and Border Patrol funding vote; DNC releases 2024 autopsy report<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the hang-ups that had prevented the earlier release of the report: The DNC had demanded, but never received, a list of people who were interviewed, a source with knowledge of what transpired said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The source added that the committee never received transcripts or notes of interviews, either, despite multiple requests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI believe that Ken did the right thing by releasing the report. Ken has decided to release the entire report in spite of the fact that it is not up to his standards or the DNC standards. The reason he has released the entire report was for the sake of transparency,\u201d Chris Korge, DNC finance chair, said. \u201cWe are literally a few months away from the midterm elections and this distraction needs to finally go away.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The on-again, off-again autopsy is the latest negative storyline for a DNC that\u2019s found itself on the defensive for much of Martin\u2019s term as chairman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Martin clashed early on with the DNC\u2019s new vice chair, Gen Z activist David Hogg, over the chairman\u2019s push to have party officers agree to a neutrality pledge in primaries. The party also invalidated the election of Hogg <\/a>and Vice Chair Malcolm Kenyatta over a procedural complaint, and Hogg ultimately chose not to run again, focusing instead on his own political group, which has at times supported challenges to Democratic incumbents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the Republican National Committee has amassed a significant fundraising lead this election cycle, raising $247 million, spending $161 million and banking away $123.9 million with no debt, new filings show.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The DNC has raised $189 million and spent almost $197 million through April, leaving it with about $14.4 million in cash reserves and $17.5 million in debt, according to campaign finance reports filed Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Martin defenders have pointed to the string of Democratic victories<\/a> and overperformances in special elections<\/a> in President Donald Trump\u2019s second term, as well as the party\u2019s decision to increase funding for state party organizations, as signs they\u2019re on the right path.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Inside the report<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Much of the 200-page draft autopsy report doesn\u2019t focus directly on the 2024 election \u2014 it includes a lengthy recap of modern American political history dating to the 2008 presidential election, historic fundraising and spending data from past elections, and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the report also includes significant discussion of what the author believes went wrong for Democrats in 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The diagnosis includes underfunded state parties and Democratic declines in voter registration. The report also stated that a \u201cpersistent inability or unwillingness to listen to all voters has provided the other major party with opportunities for advancement at the expense of Democratic growth, evolution, and ability to find common ground with seemingly disparate groups of voters from coast to coast, and the heartland Democrats tend to ignore.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The report also criticizes Democrats for relying too heavily on Republicans to \u201cnominate deeply flawed candidates,\u201d adding that \u201cregaining trust and confidence in the party\u201d and giving voters an \u201caffirmative reason to support Democrats\u201d will \u201ctake a comprehensive strategy and considerable effort over multiple cycles.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a text message, North Carolina Democratic Party chair Anderson Clayton wrote that the report underlines the importance of \u201cshowing up in places we have left behind\u201d and \u201cdefining what it means to be a Democrat and giving the people something to fight for \u2014 not just against.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The draft release includes annotations from the DNC, which make clear the deep frustration seeping out of the party headquarters at the report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The annotations flag factual errors, including incorrect election results. They also question assumptions and push back on claims the annotators say were written in without evidence. For example, the report\u2019s finding that \u201cthe national campaign did not effectively drive Trump\u2019s negatives, and the White House did not effectively support Vice President Harris over three and half years to improve her standing before the candidate switch.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo evidence provided for these claims,\u201d the DNC annotation beside that sentence reads.Share<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Add NBC News to Google<\/a>Savewith a NBCUniversal Profile<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\/<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>Natasha Korecki<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Natasha Korecki is a senior national political reporter for NBC News.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\/<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>Ben Kamisar<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ben Kamisar is a national political reporter for NBC News<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

DNC Chair Ken Martin had been pummeled in public for months after he promised to release the report and then reversed course in December. Ken Martin, chair of the Democratic National Committee, in 2025.Bill Clark \/ Getty Images Add NBC News to Google May 21, 2026 (NBCNews.com) By Natasha Korecki and Ben Kamisar… Continue reading → <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[1921],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48379"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48379"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48379\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":48380,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48379\/revisions\/48380"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48379"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48379"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48379"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}