News

• Report was expected to delve into factors behind 2024 defeat
• Hundreds of party officials were interviewed
• Recent election victories convinced party leaders to shelve report

WASHINGTON, Dec 18 (Reuters) - The Democratic Party said on Thursday it would not release an internal review of its loss to Republican President Donald Trump in 2024, saying that a public airing of its failures would distract from focusing on winning future elections.

The party has been embroiled in finger-pointing over who was to blame for Vice President Kamala Harris' defeat. Harris became the Democratic presidential candidate just weeks before the election after President Joe Biden abruptly quit the race.

The so-called autopsy report, which involved hundreds of interviews with party officials across the country, was an attempt to arrive at some consensus.

Instead, after Democrats won governor races in New Jersey and Virginia last month and showed strength in other contests, the much-anticipated report will now be put aside as the party looks ahead to next year’s midterm elections, when it will try to retake control of Congress from Republicans.

“In our conversations with stakeholders from across the Democratic ecosystem, we are aligned on what’s important, and that’s learning from the past and winning the future,” Ken Martin, the chair of the Democratic National Committee, said in a statement on Thursday. “Here’s our North Star: does this help us win? If the answer is no, it’s a distraction from the core mission.”

Harris’ defeat laid bare a rupture in the party between its liberal and more centrist wings, with each faction claiming that it held the blueprint for the path forward.

But the report was not expected to touch upon that ideological divide, nor was it expected to place blame on either Harris or Biden. The report’s findings centered on process — voter contacts, fundraising and media messaging, according to a DNC official who spoke on condition of anonymity. It touched upon Trump’s success at reaching younger voters and his ability to exploit nontraditional media, such as podcasts.

The report also contended that Democrats failed to adequately address voters’ concerns on issues such as the economy, public safety and immigration, issues on which Trump was able to make gains, the official said.