The Democratic National Committee commissioned a post-2024 election autopsy. It was supposed to explain what went wrong.
It has not been released.
According to reporting, party leadership ultimately decided that publishing the report would risk reopening internal divisions at a moment when Democrats are trying to project unity. The hesitation was not about process; it was about political consequences.
That internal debate unfolded against a broader reality: Kamala Harris entered the general election cycle with persistently high unfavorable ratings and weak standing among independents. Long before Gaza became a flashpoint inside the party, her approval numbers were underwater.
One piece of the internal review has since surfaced.
Axios reported that Democratic officials reviewing the loss concluded that the Biden administration’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war was a “net negative” for Harris, particularly among younger and progressive voters. Gaza, in other words, intensified dissatisfaction inside the coalition.
The backlash was not rhetorical. It was measurable.
In March 2024, as campus protests escalated, national polling reflected a sharp turn against Israel’s military campaign. Gallup’s survey captured the scale of the shift:
"Fifty-five percent of U.S. adults disapprove of Israel’s military action in Gaza. Among Democrats, 75 percent disapprove, marking a significant increase in opposition within the party compared to prior surveys."
When three-quarters of Democrats disapprove of their own administration’s posture abroad, the political pressure becomes structural. The White House was absorbing sustained criticism from its left flank while its presumptive nominee was already struggling to consolidate independent voters.
Progressive activists did not quietly register disagreement. Campus protests escalated nationwide, and Democratic lawmakers faced sustained pressure from their own base. The discontent was not coming from outside the party — it was internal.
Even a progressive-aligned post-election review listed the administration’s stance on Israel among the factors that alienated segments of the Democratic electorate. That acknowledgment underscores that the backlash was ideological and intraparty.
That makes Gaza a significant stress test for the ticket.
Read More: Here Are More Cringe and Laughs From That Kamala 'Headquarters' Account
It's Worse Than You Think: Influencer Goes Undercover at NY Campus, Finds Mass Support for Hamas
But stress tests only matter when the structure is already strained.
By the spring of 2024, the RealClearPolling average showed Harris’ job approval at 44.4 percent approve and 50.9 percent disapprove in the final stretch of the race, a net negative of 6.5 points. Earlier surveys throughout 2024 had her underwater by double digits. Those numbers existed before the peak of Gaza-related unrest.
In that environment, any internal fracture carried amplified consequences.
Voters were not abandoning a strong nominee because of a single foreign policy dispute. They were already skeptical of a candidate whose favorability had struggled for years. Post-election analysis noted that Harris declined opportunities to distance herself from the prior four years and failed to present herself as a clear break from an unpopular administration.
Gaza accelerated dissatisfaction inside the coalition. It did not create the underlying weakness.
That distinction explains the DNC’s calculation. Publishing an autopsy that highlights Israel as a liability risks reigniting a left-wing backlash. But coalition strain becomes decisive only when a nominee lacks the political capital to absorb it.
Harris lacked that capital before Gaza became dominant news.
Israel policy exposed fragility. It did not invent it.
Editor’s Note: Do you enjoy RedState’s conservative reporting that takes on the radical left and woke media? Support our work so that we can continue to bring you the truth.
Join RedState VIP and use the promo code FIGHT to get 60% off your VIP membership!
Join the conversation as a VIP Member