DNC’s Ken Martin faces backlash after release of 2024 autopsy: 5 takeaways 

The Democratic National Committee (DNC) released its contentious post-mortem of the party’s 2024 losses on Thursday, a report they’d intended to keep under wraps to avoid distraction and infighting during the midterms. 

DNC Chair Ken Martin had faced backlash for reversing on an initial commitment to release the so-called autopsy of what went wrong when former Vice President Harris lost to President Trump. He said on Thursday that the report “wasn’t ready for primetime” and insisted it still doesn’t meet his standards, but released it as he stressed that “transparency is paramount.”  

Yet the release of the report, at nearly 200 pages, did little to appease Democrats, many of whom were only more furious about the incomplete report riddled with incomplete sections and annotations.

Here are  takeaways on the report.

DNC, Martin bow to pressure

The DNC made a strategic move last year to keep the 2024 autopsy private and focus on the future as the party sought to capitalize on a string of off-year and special election wins heading into the midterms. 

“Here’s our North Star: Does this help us win?” Martin said in a statement back in December, explaining his decision to withhold the report. “If the answer is no, it’s a distraction from the core mission.” 

But Martin had promised earlier in the year to release the findings, and the course reversal divided the party. 

Democrats earlier this month were still bickering over whether to release the autopsy, with some insisting it was a way to move forward.

On Thursday, Martin said that his efforts to avoid allowing the autopsy to become a distraction by keeping it under wraps “ended up creating an even bigger distraction.”

He also did not avoid criticism with the release.

“Democrats going to Democrat,” said one Democratic donor. “This is just pathetic all the way around.”  

Other Democrats argued the move was productive and necessary. 

“I don’t care about typos. The first draft of that report asks some tough questions and makes an important recommendation,” said Jamal Simmons, a former communications adviser for Harris. “Democrats need to organize everywhere so we can win anywhere.” 

Report offers dire assessment of party since 2008 

The report offered a bleak assessment of the Democratic Party, noting that its consecutive, narrow losses cycle after cycle has only put power further in Republican hands. 

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