The Democratic National Committee (DNC) has performed a sharp U-turn on a promise to make public a detailed post-mortem report examining the party's defeat in the 2024 presidential election.
A Broken Pledge
DNC Chair Ken Martin had vowed to release the findings just hours after his election to the role in February 2025. "Of course it will be released," he stated at the time, emphasising the need to learn lessons and operationalise them across all state and county parties. However, by Wednesday 17 December 2025, a DNC official speaking anonymously to Politico confirmed the party would not be publishing the analysis.
The source indicated that some party leaders expressed concerns about rehashing past failures. Instead, they preferred to focus on building momentum from a strong year in special elections, including Democratic gubernatorial wins in Virginia and New Jersey and the election of Zohran Mamdani as Mayor of New York City.
Key Findings from the Withheld Report
Although the full document remains under wraps, Politico reviewed portions of the analysis. It reportedly found that Democrats were defensive on critical issues like immigration and public safety. The report urged future campaigns to move beyond traditional canvassing and phone banking, calling for greater investment in relational organising and year-round field infrastructure.
Perhaps the most striking conclusion centred on the youth vote. The analysis noted that the party lost the support of young voters, while Republicans proved far more adept at using online influencers and digital culture to cultivate that demographic. The report did not mention President Joe Biden's age or health and suggested Democrats are split on why former Vice President Kamala Harris lost to President Donald Trump.
Focusing on the Future
In a statement, Chair Ken Martin said the party was "putting our learnings into motion" through conversations with stakeholders. "Here’s our North Star: does this help us win? If the answer is no, it’s a distraction from the core mission," he stated, without publicly explaining his reversal on publication.
The decision to withhold the 2024 election loss autopsy highlights an internal tension between accountability and forward momentum as Democrats look toward the upcoming midterms. The DNC did not respond to a request for comment from The Independent.
