A draft autopsy report released by the Democratic National Committee (DNC) on Thursday is stirring internal party turmoil, placing significant blame for former Vice President Kamala Harris’s 2024 election loss on the Biden administration’s political operation. The document, authored by Democratic consultant Paul Rivera, argues that the White House did not adequately position or prepare Harris for a potential presidential run.
“The White House did not position or prepare the Vice President,” the report states. “Had the White House explored and evaluated ways to leverage Kamala Harris earlier in the administration, perhaps it would have improved the President’s standing, and it certainly could have helped prepare her to lead the ticket.”
Rivera’s analysis acknowledges Harris’s strengths as a nominee but contends that a lack of support from the Biden team hampered her ability to connect with key voter blocs. “Any fair critic of the Vice President has to acknowledge the strength and ability she demonstrated as the nominee,” the report adds. “The idea that a prepared and supported Vice President could not have helped the President in the preceding three and a half years is a significant failure of imagination.”
A central finding of the autopsy is that the Harris campaign was starved of critical research. Rivera notes that three broad surveys were conducted after Harris became the nominee, but the polling team never briefed her or her ticket on the findings. This contrasted sharply with the research done for President Biden, his wife, and other proxies, which was intended for campaign use.
“Once the candidate switch was announced, the polling team quickly scrambled to get into the field with three studies – one on the Vice President’s biography and record, one on her vision and plan, and another on attacks and responses,” the report says. “The resulting research was rolled together into a report shared with campaign leadership. It guided ongoing conversations with campaign leaders, but the pollsters never provided a briefing to the ticket.”
Rivera warns that the data sent “strong signals” that even modest breaks from Biden could have helped Harris, but campaign leadership failed to act. This inaction left the ticket vulnerable to attacks from President Trump’s campaign that went unresolved. The report contrasts Harris’s performance with that of down-ballot Democrats like North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein, who capitalized on similar data trends to mitigate losses among young voters, men, and voters of color.
“Young voters, men, voters of color, and irregular voters all trended Republican compared to 2020,” Rivera writes. “Stein’s results suggest effective strategies to mitigate these losses. Harris’s campaign appears not to have made similar adjustments.” He urges future candidates to engage directly with male voters, cultivate rural visibility, and limit anti-Trump messaging by strengthening candidate identity.
DNC Chair Ken Martin, who released the report under pressure for transparency, expressed displeasure with its contents. The report notes that its findings are Rivera’s own and not necessarily the DNC’s views. Notably, CNN has reported that many of the autopsy’s claims are not substantiated by data or conflict with other public accounts of the 2024 election. The report was compiled from contributions from over 300 organizations and individuals through virtual and in-person interviews.
Despite the criticism, Rivera acknowledges that Harris’s presence on the ballot helped down-ballot Democrats maintain base support. “Had Biden remained on the ballot, down-ballot Democrats might have faced even steeper challenges,” he wrote. For more on the internal party dynamics, see our coverage of DNC Chair Releases Flawed 2024 Election Autopsy Under Pressure. The report also comes amid broader Democratic soul-searching, as Newsom Leads Democrats in Call to Name 'Villains' in Anti-Trump Strategy.
