Facing intense internal pressure, DNC releases postelection autopsy that
criticizes Kamala Harris
[May 22, 2026]
By STEVE PEOPLES
NEW YORK (AP) — Kamala Harris “wrote off rural America" during the 2024
presidential campaign and failed to attack Donald Trump with sufficient
“negative firepower," according to a long-awaited post-election autopsy
released Thursday by the Democratic National Committee.
But the document's key findings, the focus of much mystery over the last
year, were almost an afterthought among Democratic officials who
expressed deep frustration with DNC chair Ken Martin 's handling of the
situation and the direction of the party's political machine.
Martin shared the 192-page report only after facing intense internal
pressure from Democratic operatives. He originally promised to release
the autopsy even before taking over the committee last year, only to
keep it under wraps because he worried it would interfere with
Democrats' focus on the November midterms.
“I didn’t want to create a distraction,” Martin wrote on Substack.
“Ironically, in doing so, I ended up creating an even bigger
distraction. And for that, I sincerely apologize.”
He said the report was withheld because it “was not ready for
primetime,” and the DNC covered the document with annotations and
disclaimers saying it was incomplete and unsubstantiated.
The report's release did nothing to temper irritation at Martin, and
Democratic insiders were exasperated as they spent the day talking about
a two-year-old election instead of focusing on Trump's unpopular war in
Iran, surging prices or the backlash against the president's White House
ballroom.
Martin faces growing outrage
Indeed, the initial reaction to the report was a mix of bafflement and
anger over Martin’s handling of the situation.
Democratic strategist Dan Pfeiffer, formerly a senior adviser to
President Barack Obama, said Martin “must go.”
“It’s hard to imagine anyone handling anything worse than Ken Martin
handled the DNC autopsy,” he wrote on social media. “It was a disaster
of his own making, and it’s sufficient evidence that he is not the right
person to lead the DNC at this time.”
Although the autopsy criticizes Democrats' focus on “identity politics,”
it sidesteps some of the most controversial elements of the 2024
campaign. The report does not address former President Joe Biden’s
decision to seek reelection, the rushed selection of Harris to replace
him after he dropped out or the party's acrimonious divide over the war
in Gaza.
“I am not proud of this product; it does not meet my standards, and it
won’t meet your standards,” Martin said. “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.”
During a conversation with staff Thursday, Martin announced that the
report's primary author, consultant Paul Rivera, was no longer working
with the DNC, according to a person on the call not authorized to speak
publicly about the private discussion.
A spokesperson for Harris did not respond to a request for comment.
Report says Democrats don't ‘listen to all voters’
The postelection report, which was first released by CNN, calls for “a
renewed focus on the voters of Middle America and the South, who have
come to believe they are not included in the Democratic vision of a
stronger and more dynamic America for everyone.”
“Millions of Americans are suffering from poor access to healthcare,
manufacturing and job losses, and a failing infrastructure, yet continue
to be persuaded to vote against their best interests because they do not
see themselves reflected in the America of the Democratic Party,” the
report says.
The autopsy points to a reduction in support and training for Democratic
state parties, voter registration shifts and “a persistent inability or
unwillingness to listen to all voters.”
Thursday's release comes as Martin confronts a crisis of confidence
among party officials who are increasingly concerned about the health of
their political machine barely a year into his term. Some Democratic
operatives have had informal discussions about recruiting a new chair,
even though most believe that Martin’s job isn't in serious jeopardy
ahead of the midterm elections.
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Democratic National Committee chair Ken Martin speaks during an
interview with The Associated Press at DNC headquarters, Jan. 12,
2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert, File)
Few were satisfied with how Martin navigated the report's release.
“The execution, the rollout and the coverup are indicative of how
Ken Martin is fundamentally not up to the task,” said Amanda Litman,
who leads the Democratic-allied organization Run For Something. “He
will be incapable of rebuilding the trust necessary to facilitate a
Democratic primary in 2027-2028.”
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., said the Gaza omission was
“notable.” She also declined to back Martin when asked by The
Associated Press whether she supports his leadership.
“I’m glad that there’s something out,” she said. “It’s, of course,
taken a very long time.”
Were Democrats too nice?
The report found that Harris and her allies failed to focus enough
on Trump's negatives, especially his felony convictions. This was
part of a broader criticism that Democrats' messaging is too focused
on reason and winning arguments, “even in cycles when the electorate
is defined by rage.”
“There was a decision in the 2024 Democratic leadership not to
engage in negative advertising at the scale required,” the report
states. “The Trump campaign and supportive Super PACs went full
throttle against Vice President Harris, but there was not sufficient
or similar negative firepower directed at Trump by Democrats.”
The report continues: “It was essential to prosecute a more
effective case as to why Trump should have been disqualified from
ever again taking office. The grounds were there, but the messaging
did not make the case.”
The DNC appeared to reject these conclusions, adding annotations
like "no sourcing or evidence provided.”
Trump's attack on Harris' transgender policies was cited as a key
contrast.
Specifically, the report suggested the Democratic nominee was
“boxed” in by the Trump campaign's “very effective” ad that
highlighted Harris' previous statement of support for
taxpayer-funded gender-affirming surgeries for prison inmates.
Democratic pollsters believed that “if the Vice President would not
change her position — and she did not — then there was nothing which
would have worked as a response," the report said.
Democrats can't exclude rural voters: ‘The math doesn’t work'
The report criticized Harris' outreach to key segments of America
while condemning the party's focus on “identity politics.”
“Harris wrote off rural America, assuming urban/suburban margins
would compensate. The math doesn’t work,” the report says. “You
can’t lose rural areas by overwhelming margins and make it up
elsewhere when rural voters are a significant share of the
electorate. If Democrats are to reclaim leadership in the Heartland
or the South, candidates must perform well in rural turf. Show up,
listen, and then do it again.”
The report also references Democrats' underperformance with male
voters of color.
“Male voters require direct engagement. The gender gap can be
narrowed. Deploy male messengers, address economic concerns, and
don’t assume identity politics will hold male voters of color,” it
says.
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AP writer Joey Cappelletti in Washington contributed.
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