Democrats Bury 2024 'Autopsy' As Party Faces Crisis and Voter Exodus

Paul Riverbank, 12/19/2025Democrats conceal 2024 “autopsy” as leadership fractures, voters flee, and party’s future teeters.

After the bruising defeat last November—losing both the White House and the Senate, with the House staying stubbornly out of reach—party elders spoke loftily of honest self-reflection. Over 300 officials and strategists huddled, some in person, more via endless conference calls. Eyewitnesses recall heated debates that stretched late into the night. It had all the makings of a real reckoning: candid internal surveys, frank admissions (sometimes even rival factions admitting error), and at least a promise the lessons would be shared widely.

Then, quite suddenly, the silence crept in. Ken Martin, now at the helm as DNC chair, abruptly shelved the report that insiders assumed would direct their future. He called it an “after-action review,” careful to avoid the word “autopsy”—a term that had made even high-ranking members bristle. “Releasing the report would be a distraction from the party’s core mission,” Martin explained in a memo to state committees. The new mantra: no public paperwork, just action. “Here’s our North Star: does this help us win? If the answer is no, it’s a distraction.”

What did the report conclude? No outsider truly knows. Pockets within the party grumble—the base, especially younger organizers and local campaigners, wanted specifics. Some had believed the review would take a hard look at Joe Biden’s re-election gamble, and the frenzied handover to Kamala Harris as nominee, just weeks before the convention. Hints leaked out, but never cohered: one staffer whispered that blame stopped well short of top brass.

Meanwhile, out in the open, Democratic leaders talk up a string of unexpected 2025 wins—flipping a city council in Indiana, surprising everyone with a close mayoral race in Missouri. “We’re already putting our learnings into motion,” Martin insisted in a note widely circulated across activist networks. “We’re winning in places few thought we could.”

Predictably, the opposition pounced. Republicans wasted little time, sensing the blood in the water. GOP national press secretary Kiersten Pels delivered her jab: “Voters don’t need an autopsy of Democrats’ 2024 failures to understand why their party is collapsing.” Her statement, thick with derision, accused Democrats of throwing good money after “radical” candidates. “Now they’re literally taking out loans to prop up a broken operation,” she quipped, the words stinging in their certainty.

Numbers don’t disguise the malaise. Quinnipiac University’s pollsters found Congressional Democrats’ job approval at a historic low—just 18%. For context, that’s the bottom of the barrel since they began asking in 2009. Even allies seem discouraged; less than half of registered Democrats give their party’s congressional crew positive marks. It’s not just a matter of poor polling—a sense of drift pervades. Tim Malloy, a longtime analyst, put it in family terms: “A family squabble spills over into the holidays,” he said. “They want to run the House but aren’t remotely happy with how things stand.”

Look at the independent vote—there’s the real hemorrhage. On CNN, Harry Enten’s eyebrow shot up. “These are truly horrific numbers. They’re in the trash bin of history. That’s where Democrats’ approval ratings are now.” He compared their standing to the Dead Sea—grim, but the comparison caught on.

Yet, a flicker of hope persists. Forty-seven percent of voters still say they’d rather see Democrats steering the House, vs. 43% for Republicans. Not an overwhelming margin, but enough to give party tacticians a reason to keep knocking doors. Still, the margin is thinning. The October cushion is gone.

Then there’s the matter of dollars and cents. The DNC’s financial sheets show over $15 million owed, while just $3 million sits in reserves. Compare that to the Republican coffers—deep, unencumbered, and flush with fresh donations. The significance isn’t lost on anyone preparing for the 2026 cycle; in politics, money is rarely just a footnote.

The GOP, for now, seems to have steadier winds. Seventy-seven percent of Republican voters back their House leadership, only 18% dissenting. Nobody would call Capitol Hill a place of harmony these days, but the contrast in confidence is hard to miss.

For the Democrats, what happens next may define them more than what came before. With the full post-mortem stitched up and tucked away—at least for now—many question whether old wounds will fade or fester. Forward momentum won’t erase the memory of defeat. What’s clear is that the party’s next moves are now drafted behind closed doors, with the most painful truths still unspoken. The call for transparency grows louder, but for now, hard questions linger in the background, unsettled.

The mood inside recent Democratic circles has grown tense, even brittle. Ask any party organizer about the months after the 2024 elections, and you’ll likely meet a brief, uneasy smile—then a careful dodging of specifics. Most Democrats can’t quite agree on what happened, but nearly all sense that something slipped, quietly yet unmistakably, through their grasp.After the bruising defeat last November—losing both the White House and the Senate, with the House staying stubbornly out of reach—party elders spoke loftily of honest self-reflection. Over 300 officials and strategists huddled, some in person, more via endless conference calls. Eyewitnesses recall heated debates that stretched late into the night. It had all the makings of a real reckoning: candid internal surveys, frank admissions (sometimes even rival factions admitting error), and at least a promise the lessons would be shared widely.Then, quite suddenly, the silence crept in. Ken Martin, now at the helm as DNC chair, abruptly shelved the report that insiders assumed would direct their future. He called it an “after-action review,” careful to avoid the word “autopsy”—a term that had made even high-ranking members bristle. “Releasing the report would be a distraction from the party’s core mission,” Martin explained in a memo to state committees. The new mantra: no public paperwork, just action. “Here’s our North Star: does this help us win? If the answer is no, it’s a distraction.”What did the report conclude? No outsider truly knows. Pockets within the party grumble—the base, especially younger organizers and local campaigners, wanted specifics. Some had believed the review would take a hard look at Joe Biden’s re-election gamble, and the frenzied handover to Kamala Harris as nominee, just weeks before the convention. Hints leaked out, but never cohered: one staffer whispered that blame stopped well short of top brass.Meanwhile, out in the open, Democratic leaders talk up a string of unexpected 2025 wins—flipping a city council in Indiana, surprising everyone with a close mayoral race in Missouri. “We’re already putting our learnings into motion,” Martin insisted in a note widely circulated across activist networks. “We’re winning in places few thought we could.”Predictably, the opposition pounced. Republicans wasted little time, sensing the blood in the water. GOP national press secretary Kiersten Pels delivered her jab: “Voters don’t need an autopsy of Democrats’ 2024 failures to understand why their party is collapsing.” Her statement, thick with derision, accused Democrats of throwing good money after “radical” candidates. “Now they’re literally taking out loans to prop up a broken operation,” she quipped, the words stinging in their certainty.Numbers don’t disguise the malaise. Quinnipiac University’s pollsters found Congressional Democrats’ job approval at a historic low—just 18%. For context, that’s the bottom of the barrel since they began asking in 2009. Even allies seem discouraged; less than half of registered Democrats give their party’s congressional crew positive marks. It’s not just a matter of poor polling—a sense of drift pervades. Tim Malloy, a longtime analyst, put it in family terms: “A family squabble spills over into the holidays,” he said. “They want to run the House but aren’t remotely happy with how things stand.”Look at the independent vote—there’s the real hemorrhage. On CNN, Harry Enten’s eyebrow shot up. “These are truly horrific numbers. They’re in the trash bin of history. That’s where Democrats’ approval ratings are now.” He compared their standing to the Dead Sea—grim, but the comparison caught on.Yet, a flicker of hope persists. Forty-seven percent of voters still say they’d rather see Democrats steering the House, vs. 43% for Republicans. Not an overwhelming margin, but enough to give party tacticians a reason to keep knocking doors. Still, the margin is thinning. The October cushion is gone.Then there’s the matter of dollars and cents. The DNC’s financial sheets show over $15 million owed, while just $3 million sits in reserves. Compare that to the Republican coffers—deep, unencumbered, and flush with fresh donations. The significance isn’t lost on anyone preparing for the 2026 cycle; in politics, money is rarely just a footnote.The GOP, for now, seems to have steadier winds. Seventy-seven percent of Republican voters back their House leadership, only 18% dissenting. Nobody would call Capitol Hill a place of harmony these days, but the contrast in confidence is hard to miss.For the Democrats, what happens next may define them more than what came before. With the full post-mortem stitched up and tucked away—at least for now—many question whether old wounds will fade or fester. Forward momentum won’t erase the memory of defeat. What’s clear is that the party’s next moves are now drafted behind closed doors, with the most painful truths still unspoken. The call for transparency grows louder, but for now, hard questions linger in the background, unsettled.