WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A month after election results that handed Republicans control of the White House and both houses of Congress, and saw key groups like the working class, Latino voters, and women shift away from the Democratic Party, some Democratic officials are reflecting on what went wrong.
Republican Donald Trump’s victory over Democrat Kamala Harris on November 5 is part of a larger global trend, with incumbent parties losing ground in 80% of elections worldwide in 2024. In a December 3 memo to “interested parties,” outgoing Democratic National Committee (DNC) chair Jaime Harrison highlighted this pattern. He noted that despite the party’s losses, historic investments in all U.S. states and territories helped mitigate what could have been a more devastating Republican wave.
Democrats raised and spent over $1 billion since Harris took over as the Democratic candidate in late July. However, they finished the election both financially and politically in the red.
“Although Democrats didn’t achieve all of our goals, Trump couldn’t secure the support of more than 50% of the electorate, and we fought back against global headwinds that could have turned this close race into a landslide,” Harrison wrote, adding that Trump’s victory was far from a mandate.
In Europe, far-right parties have gained traction, especially among younger voters, by questioning climate change and pro-immigration policies. Meanwhile, in the U.S., the political right’s unexpected gains stunned many Democrats who believed a surge of volunteerism, fundraising, and new momentum would help Harris win.
Trump’s second presidency promises significant changes to U.S. policies on healthcare, education, and oil drilling. Some Democrats have pointed to President Biden’s failure to step down sooner, while key advisers to Harris—such as campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon and deputy manager Quentin Fulks—blamed other factors for the loss, including the post-COVID economic struggles, a truncated 107-day campaign, and hurricanes that diverted attention.
“This political environment was incredibly tough,” said David Plouffe, a senior adviser to Harris, in a recent interview. “We faced strong headwinds, and people’s instincts led them to give Republicans and Trump another shot. We had a challenging puzzle to solve with voters.”
Senator Bernie Sanders, a former presidential candidate, has criticized Democrats for neglecting working-class issues, and many within the party are calling for new leadership. Aidan Kohn-Murphy, founder of Gen Z for Change, a political activism group, voiced frustration over the party’s direction.
“If I see a dumpster fire and we’ve put it out, I’m not going to go talk to the arsonists,” Kohn-Murphy said on TikTok.
Veteran Democratic strategist James Carville has called for an audit of the campaign and the Democratic Super PAC, Future Forward. Harrison, in his memo, emphasized the DNC’s investments, including $264 million to fund state abortion rights measures, legislative seat gains, and efforts to make unionization easier.
Despite Trump’s narrow victory, he won less than 50% of the popular vote, with a margin that ranks 44th out of 51 elections since 1824. Democrats also made gains in the Senate, winning seats in four states Trump had won, and their candidates outperformed Harris by an average of 5 percentage points in battleground states.
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