After Kamala Harris lost every battleground state to Republican Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election, many Democrats are calling for a party overhaul. Despite this, some officials argue that the outcome could have been worse, pointing to the party’s heavy campaign spending and its efforts to prevent a larger red wave. Democratic National Committee chair Jaime Harrison downplayed the loss, emphasizing that Trump failed to capture more than 50% of the electorate, and argued that the result fit a global pattern of incumbent party losses.
The party struggled to maintain support among working-class, Latino, and women voters, with Republicans gaining control of the White House and both houses of Congress. Harris’ campaign, which took over from President Biden in late July, faced challenges, including economic issues, high prices, and voter concerns over crime and immigration. Harris’ loss shocked many Democrats, and some blamed Biden for not stepping aside.
Democratic strategists, including James Carville and Bernie Sanders, have called for an audit of the campaign and for a renewed focus on working-class issues. Campaign advisers attributed the defeat to the short, 107-day campaign and external factors like two hurricanes that diverted attention. The DNC raised $1.5 billion but ended up in the red, and Harrison stressed the importance of continued investment in the party’s infrastructure.
Despite the loss, Democrats succeeded in securing Senate seats in states Trump won, and overperformed Harris by an average of 5 percentage points in battleground states. Harrison urged ongoing support for the party’s central apparatus to prepare for future elections.
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