The Democratic National Committee (DNC) released a 192-page autopsy report analyzing Kamala Harris's 2024 presidential election loss to Donald Trump on May 21, 2026 [1, 2, 3]. The report was authored by Democratic strategist Paul Rivera and completed in December 2025 [1, 2, 3].
The report was initially withheld for months by DNC chair Ken Martin, who cited the need to focus on the 2026 midterms and avoid distractions. Martin said he only released the document publicly due to internal pressure and calls for transparency [1, 4, 5]. He disavowed the report, stating, "I am not proud of this product; it does not meet my standards, and it won’t meet your standards. I could not in good faith put the DNC’s stamp of approval on it" [1, 5, 6]. Martin added that the report lacked source material and would have required a complete redo to fix [1].
The autopsy highlights demographic losses among Latino voters, men, rural voters, and non-college voters. It focuses on campaign spending, poor voter engagement, and messaging failures but stops short of offering a clear conclusion or policy recommendations [1, 2, 7, 3]. The report carries disclaimers noting it "reflects the views of the author, not the DNC," and several claims could not be independently verified [2, 5].
The report notably omits analysis of key contentious issues such as President Joe Biden’s age and decision to run for re-election, as well as the U.S. support for Israel’s war in Gaza—a conflict that cost roughly $18 billion in aid but was a significant factor for Democratic voters in 2024 [1, 2, 7, 3, 8]. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez criticized the omission, saying, "I think it's pretty unbelievable that Gaza would not be mentioned once in the autopsy report. I think that for young people it was a huge part of the environment" [8].
The release prompted harsh criticism from prominent Democrats and strategists, intensifying calls for Ken Martin to resign. Representative Mark Veasey stated, "There doesn’t seem to be a plan to turn things around and the clock is ticking. November is literally around the corner… I believe it’s time for him to move on" [8].
Several sources described the report as flawed and incomplete, citing factual errors and a lack of comprehensive conclusions [1, 9, 5]. However, the DNC maintained the report was issued unedited with annotations to highlight inaccuracies for transparency [4].
The DNC will now turn its focus to the upcoming 2026 midterm elections amid mounting internal pressure for leadership change and improved strategic direction.
