For all the hand-wringing, finger-pointing, and post-election soul-searching documented in the Democrats’ autopsy of their 2024 presidential defeat, one reality is unchanged: former Vice President Kamala Harris remains the party’s leading contender for 2028, despite suffering what many describe as a BIGLY loss in 2024.
Yes, recent polling from Rasmussen shows Harris still leading the Democratic presidential field by a comfortable margin despite losing to Donald Trump in 2024. Apparently, in a party desperately searching for the next big thing, the old thing is still the best choice for Democrats.
That reality is especially interesting given what was said about Harris in the Democrats’ sprawling 192-page post-election “autopsy” report, Build to Win. Build to Last. The document, commissioned through DNC Chair Ken Martin and authored by longtime Democratic strategist and consultant Paul Rivera, attempts to explain what went wrong in 2024.
The report mentions Harris about 128 times and argues that she underperformed several Democratic candidates further down the ballot, particularly with men, rural voters, and irregular voters (whatever THAT means). It also claims her campaign relied too heavily on anti-Trump messaging and struggled to give voters a compelling reason to vote for Harris rather than simply against Trump.
The report doesn’t place all the blame on Harris though with a lot of criticism directed at the Biden White House, which the report argues failed to properly prepare or elevate Harris before she suddenly became the nominee. Then again, how COULD they elevate her, considering she didn’t actually DO anything noteworthy??!
The Democratic Party, for its part, is trying to distance themselves from the report and states on the top of every page: “Disclaimer: This document reflects the views of the author, not the DNC. The DNC was not provided with the underlying sourcing, interviews, or supporting data for many of the assertions contained herein and therefore cannot independently verify the claims presented.”
So after 192 pages of analysis, excuses, finger-pointing, and lessons supposedly learned, Democrats may find themselves right back where they started if Harris remains the party’s best option for 2028. The autopsy may have successfully identified what killed the patient in 2024 – but it hasn’t found a viable organ donor for 2028.
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