'Democrats Lost Them': Here's Why 2020 Biden Voters Sat Out The 2024 Election (Rolling Stone)

[highplainsdem]

https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/why-2020-biden-voters-sat-out-2024-1235318121/

-snip-

The focus groups included Biden voters who didn’t vote in 2024 across those four Sunbelt states as well the same voters in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania, with a particular emphasis on groups that constituted the Democrats’ largest losses in 2024: voters of all races and genders under 35, Latino men and women under 65, and Black men under 65.

The data collected in these groups helps dispel some of the misconceptions people have about why those voters stayed home in November. For one thing, they are not politically apathetic — the voters interviewed reported they were engaged with politics, but unhappy with their choices and unconvinced that either candidate could make a positive change in their lives. But they are open to persuasion — one woman shared a story about attending Harris rally, which she left early after Harris failed to address the issues that mattered most to her.

Nonvoters had other gripes with the Harris-Walz campaign too: “A surprisingly common frame was that the campaign ‘wasn’t serious,’ with many citing Harris’ celebrity endorsements and event appearances and framing them negatively.” Voters across groups indicated a belief that Democrats were focused on the “wrong things,” with Black men in particular expressing their feeling “that Dems cared more about immigrants, trans people, and waging war in Ukraine and Gaza than domestic priorities or their daily economic realities.” (Young voters, on the other hand, took issue with Harris’ perceived silence on Gaza, with a majority of voters in that focus group saying her unwillingness to take a stand affected their decision not to vote.)

-snip-

There was a note of hope: The same voters who sat out last November have been horrified by what they’ve watched Trump and Elon Musk do since January — and most of the focus group participants reported that they are feeling strongly motivated to vote in 2026. The groups also offer some insight into what kind of leader might be able to draw these voters back to the Democrat party. Hint: That person is more in the mold of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez than Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who infuriated the Democratic base when he helped advance the GOP’s partisan spending bill.

-snip-

[dalton99a]

1. Kick

[Celerity]

61. archived link

https://archive.ph/Bdy5m

If you, like a lot of us, spend your days confronting each fresh horror this administration manufactures and marveling, “How the fuck did Americans let this happen again?” — well, we can help you with the “how” part, at least. Data from the 2024 voter file is finally coming in, and a picture of the American electorate that ushered in a second Donald Trump term is starting to emerge.

There are two categories of voters whose decisions in November helped bring about our present and ongoing nightmare: swing voters who flipped from Joe Biden to Trump, and 2020 Biden voters who sat the last election out entirely. The progressive donor network Way to Win analyzed data from the Democratic data firm Catalist and worked with pollster Lake Research Partners in an effort to get a better handle on the second group — Biden voters in battleground states who opted out in 2024 — the results of which the group has shared exclusively with Rolling Stone.

Across the four Sunbelt battleground states — Nevada, Arizona, Georgia, and North Carolina — there were at least 937,200 Democratic voters who turned out in 2020, but didn’t show up for Vice President Kamala Harris four years later. That’s a meaningful drop, and one that was large enough on its own to swing the election: Trump only won those states by a combined 531,539 votes. Analysis of Catalist data showed that Democrats (both registered and modeled) sat out of the 2024 election at a higher rate than their Republican counterparts. Across every state and almost every demographic group analyzed, Democrats’ vote share declined compared to 2020 — and left-leaning voters removing themselves from the voting pool meant that the electorate was redder than it would have been had they participated.

Some pundits and Democratic operatives have interpreted the election results as an emphatic endorsement for Trump’s message. But in focus groups, these voters paint a very different picture. “If you listen to them you really understand that, on the whole, these voters didn’t skip voting because they viewed Kamala as too liberal or too woke, and the vast majority of them, if they had shown up, would not have voted for Trump. They are not swinging to the right, it’s more that the Democrats lost them,” Jenifer Fernandez Ancona, the co-founder of Way to Win explains. “They’re deeply disappointed with the Democratic Party. They’re skeptical of government. They’re skeptical of politics in general — but they are gettable. They’re persuadable.”

snip

[Moostache]

102. Seriously?

Fuck those people right alongside Donald Trump, Elon Musk and the rest of the MAGA crowd.
I mean it. Fuck them hard and violently with rusted garden tools and Musk's chainsaw.

There is a time and a place for arguing about the message or "being heard" or getting your fucking cupcake and sprinkles and a big warm fuzzy hug. That time was NOT on election day when the ballot choice was not just Trump or Harris...it WAS Project 2025 and fascism or representative republican governance. It was not a matter of feeling heard...it was a matter of retaining the very right to speak openly and freely question the government. It was in short an existential choice between holding onto a broken system and trying to fix it or simply saying "FUCK YOU ALL" and handing the arsonist and his kerosene toting acolytes a book of lit matches.

I hope the suffering that is already started and only going to get a shit-ton worse in the next 44 months really hits these fucking selfish clowns HARD and keeps fucking them until they realize that the people they chose to allow to take power NEVER gave a fuck about them or this country in any way.

Jesus Christ fucking crucified...I don't want to talk to those voters or ever again acknowledge them. Go fucking ask the GOP for rights, assistance or even a calm airing of your greivances. When they turn around and kick you in the fucking face I will stand back and simply tell you that I can't be bothered to care or even show up to protect you or your rights because you were not sufficiently deferential to me first.

FUCK THEM!!! Goddamn am I pissed at those so-called Democratic voters. You either ARE (and you showed up and cast your ballot) or you are goddamn culpable and at fault for everything happening right now - including the goddamn $50,000+ haircut my retirement accounts have taken in the last month alone.

I can't express just how much loathing and hate I have for these bastards now. I am hyperventilating over it...I need to go take a walk...

[NCDem47]

103. It's amazing what people choose to hear.

I feel Harris was always adressing pocktbook issues. Guess we all have different filters and anetnnae..

[lame54]

2. And, of course, Gaza and the economy are just fine

[questionseverything]

11. Are you being serious or sarcastic?

[emulatorloo]

69. I think you know the answer to that.

You are an intelligent person and you know Trump has been a disaster on the economy and foreign policy. So of course poster was being sarcastic about those voters ‘reasons’ to sit home and let Trump win.

[Raven123]

3. I had a few concerns about the Harris campaign myself

But for goodness sake, she had little time to make it work. I didn’t cut my nose off to spite my face by not voting. Sometimes the enemy of good is perfect. I have yet to vote for a perfect candidate.

[questionseverything]

14. When she did the Texas rally with beyonce I wondered

Is the campaign seeing better numbers than we know because why else would we be wasting time in Texas?


If beyonce would of come to Milwaukee instead we might of gotten the half percentage bounce we needed there

[Sweet Freedom]

25. I think she came to Texas because

after Biden's election, Latin voters said that the Dems had ignored the state; therefore, they voted for Trump, and she hoped to change that.

[questionseverything]

34. Hind sight should be 20/20....she lost texas by 13 points

Putting resources there the night before the election was actually a slap at a swing state like Wisconsin

If i was going to guess i would say beyonce wouldn’t travel and she( harris) thought that star power would bring excitement

[bottomofthehill]

51. forget hindsight, internal polling showed she was not close there

it was a fools errand

[Raven123]

30. I remember having the same thoughts

[Jack Valentino]

83. I thought it was worth making one trip to Texas...

[questionseverything]

84. It was election eve, she should of been whipping up Wisconsin

She lost by less than 7 votes a precinct there….

[Jack Valentino]

86. Wisconsin, rather than Michigan, Pennsylvania and everyplace else?

In hindsight it would appear that it would have made no difference whatsoever--
but campaigning in a state can sow seeds for the future--- see Hillary Clinton and Arizona...
(which she lost but Biden won 4 years later).


In the end, I think that Kamala like Hillary, tried to "play it a little too safe"---

She failed to emphasize any economic populism in the home stretch,
and failed to explain why Trump would be bad economically---
the word "tariff" practically never came out of her mouth, she called it a "tax"
(which it is, but people didn't follow it--- and then she was off into other issues)


I think the high prices doomed us, like incumbents in so many other countries--
and so the situation called for more boldness and economic populism, which did not happen.
Also, she should have made clear that there was some separation between her and Biden,
on GAZA.... ( I detected a little such separation early in her campaign, but then it was shoved under the carpet).

[mcar]

111. And yet people frequently say we need a 50-state strategy

[Blasphemer]

127. I agree with a 50-state strategy on the more LOCAL level. Not national.

The GOP has beaten us, in part, because of their relentless focus on abortion. That led them to take back SCOTUS and state legislatures. We lost a lot of ground in the Courts and on the state level.

[questionseverything]

120. Old & stupid?

Shrug
🤷‍♀️


Election eve in Texas is a waste of time for national democratic candidates

We lost Wisconsin by less than 30,000 votes, half of those could of easily been picked up in Milwaukee with a little attention

[yardwork]

22. This.

Anyone who didn't see what a threat Trump was was just being stupid.

I know we're not supposed to call names but there it is. Stupid.

[tulipsandroses]

58. I have no problem calling them stupid

What other areas of life are they this reckless with?
As for the black men that was a part of that focus group - They need to stop being " red pilled". Stop listening to the idiots online that parrot RW talking points for profit. These days, it seems like everybody and their mama has a YouTube channel talking about politics. How about listening to people who actually have knowledge and expertise and not just some YouTuber playing political pundit for clicks and likes.
VP Harris talked about what she wanted to do for black men over and over and over. She was doing it before she was the nominee. They just were not listening. Too busy being "red pilled" or WTF ever they call it.

[JustAnotherGen]

79. They are motivated to vote in 2026

Like it will be a free and fair election!



I expect these motivated voters to put in the work that I'm not willing to do. They pissed away our Democracy. I don't believe there is a political solution to this anymore. If they do - they can step up.

Also - I hope none of those young women are without their birth certificate. Also - they did it to themselves.

[newdeal2]

4. The reasoning is dumb

Sorry but if you were a Biden voter and sat this one out, good luck. You knew Trump was evil and Kamala would be way better, but you sat on your hands and let evil win.

[SocialDemocrat61]

12. "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil

is for good men to do nothing” or vote third party.

[bottomofthehill]

53. So true.

And sadly, we have seen it over and over

[womanofthehills]

100. According to YouGov poll - Gaza was a biggie

19 million Democrats who voted for Biden in 2020 stayed home. Gaza genocide given as biggest reason.

[newdeal2]

104. Great

Are things any better over there with Trump in charge? Nope probably worse.

Are things any better here? Nope, ask the protestors and others who are being targeted by Trump.

So not voting for Kamala actually made things worse.

[Cosmocat]

124. Its exasperating

How Joe and Kamala were held so virilently responsible for it, but when you pointed to the other option and correctly noted he would be MUCH worse on it, they covered their ears and started jumping up and down and screaming as loud as they could to not hear you.

[yardwork]

130. That was the intended outcome.

[yardwork]

131. Putin's money was well-spent.

A brilliant and highly effective campaign. I have to hand it to him. It worked like a charm.

He'll do it again. He doesn't care how many babies he kills. And neither does Trump.

[Bettie]

5. It is a simple answer

misogyny and racism.

They didn't want to vote for a Black woman.

They may mumble other excuses, but it really comes down to ingrained prejudice.

[dalton99a]

6. +1

[GusBob]

9. These are Democratic voters they surveyed

are you implying they are sexist and or racist?

Baldwin and Crawford have won in Wisconsin, and to the articles point about motivated to vote now:
Crawford won in landslide with 10+ turnaround in just about every Wisconsin county

Also according to the article: AOC is generating interest in these voters

And what I read in that article is what I am reading on DU:

DEM VOTERS WANT MORE STAND UP AND FIGHT BACKBONE FROM THEIR ELECTED OFFICIALS

I didnt mumble

[Kaleva]

16. Harris, during the campaign, really went after Trump

[W_HAMILTON]

20. They weren't Democratic voters -- they were Biden voters.

Democratic voters vote for Democrats.

These people just voted for Biden (probably because of how terrible Trump was doing), willingly chose not to vote for Kamala, and now are even more pissed at everything after just a few months because of how terrible Trump is doing again.

They were warned.

[GusBob]

26. Based on some of the replies here: issues dont matter

Only skin color and gender

Given that point of view, should we just nominate white males, only this time skip the celeb endorsements ?

[MagickMuffin]

28. Are you suggesting there isn't racism in the Democratic Party?

Because I got news for you, they exist. I phone banked for Candidate Obama in 2008 and a Democratic woman voter told me that she would not vote for a n____! I was shocked that she felt very comfortable using the n word to a total stranger over the phone.

I didn’t want to believe it but that’s what happened. That’s when I realized racism is still alive and well in Texas and America.

[Blasphemer]

66. I have personally experienced both racism and sexism from the left.

Including here on DU so it’s hardly unthinkable.

[JI7]

96. Yup, people actually said Shapiro shouldn't be VP

becsuse we want to appeal to people like that guy that attacked him.

[Bengus81]

17. Yep...that's exactly it. Racism on full. Now...those asshat voters have Trump.

Hope to FUCK he takes things away from you motherfuckers. Health care,freedom, whatever.

Fuck all of you for voting for a NAZI who told you for months last year he'd be a dictator on day one.

[yardwork]

23. I agree.

Reading their lame excuses, it's obvious to me that they were looking for reasons not to support Harris.

[maxsolomon]

52. the snip literally discusses the motivations of black men

Black men in particular expressing their feeling “that Dems cared more about immigrants, trans people, and waging war in Ukraine and Gaza than domestic priorities or their daily economic realities.”

did they fail to vote because of racism & sexism, or just sexism? that's just too reductive.

the commonality is that these voters are fucking stupid and have unrealistic expectations of dems. not racism or sexism.

[Keepthesoulalive]

87. Some people will vote against their interests

But black democrats are not the problem. If this election was about economics, why did they constantly talk about DEI? In Texas it was transgender. The man showed folks what he was about and they voted for him or stayed home. I forgot about that rich little freak that bankrolled him. What helped elect him was corporate greed, American exceptionalism ,racism and misogyny. I don’t know if this country can be fixed, it is a basket case and our leadership reflects that.

[synni]

54. Not true.

I know that things are only going to get worse, but the economy was in a terrible mess in 2024. I don't care what the numbers said, the reality was that people were not spending as much money as before.

I've been involved in mail order and online selling since 1986. 2024 was the first year in my entire life that my sales had plummeted to nearly nothing. It had nothing to do with poor marketing; so many people, my regular customers, were telling me that they wished they could order certain items, but they simply couldn't afford to.

Democrats ignored the economy at their own peril, and now we are all suffering from Trump as a result.

Even if Biden, a white male, had been running against Trump, the Democrats would have lost.

The general public didn't understand at the time that Trump would only make things worse. Uninformed voters simply blame the current president for the current situation, and vote for change.

The only good thing about this tendency is that it's going to come back to bite Trump and the Republicans in the @$$ in 2026...if we are allowed another free and fair election, that is.

[travelingthrulife]

116. Biden saved our economy after a pandemic. We had the best recovery of any nation.

What are you blathering about?

[ProfessorGAC]

133. Gross & Unsupported Extrapolation

2022 & 2023 were both record years in the travel & leisure industries.
Those are preponderantly discretionary expenditures.
Walmart had record profits in 2022, 2023, & 2024. Same with Amazon in 2023 & 2024.
The notion that people weren't spending money is not supported by major financial outcomes.

[questionseverything]

137. 40% of the country could not afford a $400. Emergency

60% of the country could not afford a $1000. Emergency

Those are the people giving Walmart record breaking numbers because they can’t afford to go anywhere else

I have no doubt the upper 10-20% spent more on leisure and travel since wealth is being concentrated in fewer and fewer hands

I know a lot of young people who can’t get full time Monday through Friday jobs, most work a couple part time jobs to make ends meet…

John edwards was right about there being two Americas

[ProfessorGAC]

138. Not Close To My Point

I didn't say things were good for everyone. Nothing even close.
I said the statement "Nobody is spending money" is unsupported by the facts.
Save your lecture for someone who actually made the point you're refuting.

[questionseverything]

139. Post # 54 said, "not spending as much money "

Last edited Thu Apr 17, 2025, 08:25 PM - Edit history (1)

I always hesitate to reply to your post because it seems you get offended and take it very personally, when I really respect your opinion.

Pretending the economy was great for everyone in 22-23 is part of the reason we are where we are. Du members seem to run to the prosperous side, which is great but don’t be mad if I say,” hey that’s not how things are for everyone “

[Littlered]

77. Can you present any

Real proof of this? It kinda flies in the face of the polling. When the public opinion polls tell us that our social agenda is wildly unpopular with the average American voter. Perhaps it would be wise to reevaluate that.

[Self Esteem]

90. They weren't going to vote for Biden either.

So, that kinda blows a hole in your argument.

Unless I'm mistaken and Biden isn't a white man.

[Tadpole Raisin]

7. I highly recommend dems stop listing groups - it's just used to divide

people against us.

If the democrats get push back they should say

“unlike republicans I’m not sticking my nose in a person’s private life. If they are trying to work hard, be kind to others, raise their family and be respectful I want to make sure the system works for them. Go to republicans - They are the ones who try to take away your rights and freedoms while they pick your pockets. Democrats may not always do what you want but they won’t threaten your freedom. Republicans have already proven they will!”

[Jit423]

8. People will cover up their racism and sexism with a paper towel if they have to. nt

[JohnSJ]

10. Whether this survey is accurate or not, what it says in d the American public are a bunch

dumb asses.

2020 was no “run away” election either.

If they couldn’t tell the difference between the rethugs and the Democrats in 2024, they will pay a price for a long time for their foolishness.

What bullshit. “Oh Democrats were catering to celebrities”.

I guess these idiots were too busy listening to Joe Rogan, the twitter trolls, etc. to pay attention to what VP Harris was actually saying.

It is really quite boring listening to the same sorry excuses from the same losers that pushed the same theme in 2000, 2016, and 2024

They can now enjoy the extremist Supreme Court for at least the next decade, along with an authoritarian government that wants to control your first amendment rights, your body, etc.

If they couldn’t see the differences between the two parties, along with the fact that the rethugs told you exactly what they would do, then we are witnessing the dumbest generation.

They are three time losers, 2000, 2016, and 2024.

That is three time losers.

People who do not learn from the past are doomed to repeat it.

[EdmondDantes_]

19. We have the populace we have

To some extent, we have to reach them where they are not where we'd hope they would be. It honestly shouldn't be as hard as it seems to be because in general the public majority votes for abortion access, for minimum wage increases etc. The 2024 election might have been an outlier due to the economic conditions and only having two choices, but given the long history of the economy doing better under Democratic administrations, we should be better able to sell that than we are.

[Rob H.]

13. It was also a colossal mistake to campaign with Liz Cheney, of all people

I wonder which consultant was responsible for that particular debacle.

[Kaleva]

18. That neither helped or hurt her.

[Rob H.]

38. That statement flies in the face of reality

The time spent by the Harris campaign to woo moderate Republican voters was time frittered away during a campaign with no time to waste; Republicans, moderate or not, were never going to vote for Harris, anyway. Hitting the campaign trail with Cheney cost Democrats time, money, and resources that would've been better spent elsewhere.

Liz Cheney Was an Electoral Fiasco for Kamala Harris
Conservatives backed Trump by bigger percentages than in 2020. And time spent with Cheney prevented Harris from reaching out to the voters she needed.

John Nichols

(...)
This reality is most apparent in the election results from Ripon. The east-central Wisconsin city where abolitionists, land reformers, and utopian socialists founded the Republican Party in 1854 seemed ripe for a cross-party appeal. Ripon has been a Republican stronghold for 170 years, but the city is also a college town that in the past has shown a good measure of enthusiasm for Democrats such as Barack Obama. But that’s not how things played out on Election Day.

On November 5, Trump won 53.8 percent of the vote (2,097 ballots) in the city of Ripon, while 45 percent (1,753 ballots) voted for Harris.

That was a worse finish for the Democratic ticket than in 2020, when Joe Biden won 46.6 percent (1,820 ballots), while 51.7 percent (2,019 ballots) voted for Trump.

(...)

Every day was precious, and every signal sent to potential voters was significant. The days spent with Cheney, and the resources expended to promote endorsements from neoconservative Republicans, cost the Democrats in significant ways. They sent a signal to potential Democratic voters, many of who recalled the Iraq War and other Cheney projects, that the focus of the campaign was on outreach to the right, They ate up time that could have been spent campaigning in union halls in working-class communities with figures such as United Auto Workers union president Shawn Fain and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders. They burned up time that could have been devoted to sincere, if difficult, conversations about Gaza. They foreclosed opportunities to reach out to Latino communities in swing states. The list goes on and on.

But the bottom line is constant: Every minute that Kamala Harris spent with Liz Cheney was a colossal waste of the candidate’s time.

[emulatorloo]

68. Oooo a PUNDIT!

Liz Cheney had nothing to do with the Iraq war.

She’s known for standing up to Trump’s criminality and being fucked over by MAGA for it.

She was not going to be in the Harris administration.

99% of these stupid ‘I’m so very smart pundits’ Post-Mortems are unmitigated bullshit.

These non-voters apparently bought into every talking point put out by MAGA propagandists, which were amplified by media:

‘Too many celebrities, Dems are ELITES”. Meanwhile Trump fills his administration with actual Billionaires.

[EuterpeThelo]

80. However...

When I look at this snippet and look at the actual NUMBER of ballots in 2020 vs. 2024 versus the percentage, it's a tiny handful of actual voters, not some huge swing. I'm no fan of Liz Cheney's politics, but I really did understand the rationale that Republicans who hate Trump (and Nikki Haley's performance proved they were legion) may have been persuaded by an endorsement from an ACTUAL old-school, if neocon-adjacent, R.

[BannonsLiver]

109. Agree

The same people who think it was decisive scoff at other issues like trumps trans ad and immigration being factors in why Harris lost.

[emulatorloo]

67. Didn't matter either way except to overly online people looking for an excuse to let Trump win

Cheney was not prominent in the campaign nor was she going to be in the administration.

[progressoid]

15. Hmmm

can we blame Bernie for this somehow?

[Kaleva]

21. Not the brightest bulbs in the world

Claim to be engaged in politics but decided neither candidate was worth voting for and sat out the election. Now they say they are horrified by Trump's actions.

I would think they are apolitical and they pay very little attention what goes on .

[3catwoman3]

24. No matter what disappointments/dislikes Biden voters may have had...

...about Kamala Harris, keeping Trump from a second term should have been reason enough to vote for her.

Just like the opportunity to fill Supreme Court seats should have been reason enough to vote for Hillary Clinton, no matter how one might have felt about her.

A hearty FU to Biden voters who stayed home.

[MichMan]

65. People are looking for reasons to vote for someone not just voting against the other guy.

Those voters weren't seeing that.

There is a sentiment here that Harris ran a perfect campaign, yet voters were just too racist and sexist. This article seems to indicate that many former Biden voters did not share that same opinion. Yet, instead of trying to learn something from them, we just call them stupid.

[emulatorloo]

71. Nah, these Non-Voters are looking for excuses. Unfortunately they are going to find out what a mistake

they made by sitting this one out.

[FalloutShelter]

27. I don't care what these idiots thought.

It was Rapist Traitor or Kamala Harris.
That was the assignment.

We want something else... was not on the menu.

It was burn it all down and hand your ass to Russia... or save democracy and live to select another ice cream flavor another day,.


These people failed the assignment. PERIOD.

[SamKnause]

35. Exactly !!!

Critical thinking skills seem to be non existent.

Hard to believe anyone would even see it as a choice.

[LoisB]

43. + 1000

[moonscape]

73. a thousand x

[Behind the Aegis]

29. Myopia. That's why!

[SamKnause]

31. Zero critical thinking skills !!!

It's as if they can't tell truth from fiction.

They can't seem to discern good from evil.

Fuck all of their piss poor excuses.

Enjoy everything trump brings your way.

You deserve it.

I don't.

I voted for Harris and common sense.

By withholding your votes you failed your country when it needed you most !!!!

Now all of us are forced to live with instability and evil.

Fuck you !!!

[LoisB]

44. I am in total agreement.

[kacekwl]

32. Not interested

in stupid.

[._.]

33. Yada Yada Yada

And how's that working out for them?

[kacekwl]

36. It's OK you

won't have to worry about voting again.

[Frasier Balzov]

37. I hope all of them find their voter registrations still intact.

Suppressing the thermidorian reaction to the dictator now in charge is going to be key to said dictator's future.

[stillcool]

39. and the beat goes on...

The Good and the Bad of Joe Biden's Presidency
Story by Tim Dickinson, Tessa Stuart and Andrew Perez • 2mo • 6 min read
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/the-good-and-the-bad-of-joe-biden-s-presidency/ar-AA1xsT4v?ocid=Peregrine
Unfortunately, Biden's best legislative achievements may be forgotten, as some were only temporary - and others could soon be undone by Republicans. Biden's mistakes and shortcomings will likely be felt far longer, as he now cedes control of America to Trump, a Congress fully controlled by conservatives, and a far-right Supreme Court supermajority dedicated to rolling back the past century of American progress - and which has already bestowed on Trump unprecedented powers. The violence and destruction that the Biden administration supported overseas will, of course, be permanent.

Trump's authoritarian aims pose a grievous threat to the democratic institutions and norms Biden has long held dear - and which Biden failed to protect and, in some ways, crucially undermined as president, himself. Biden's story arc could be the stuff of a Greek tragedy. Unfortunately for the rest of us, it's real life.

How the Democrats Blew It
Insiders open up about how the Harris campaign lost touch with voters — and how Trump came out on top
By Tessa Stuart, Asawin Suebsaeng, Andrew Perez
Illustration by VICTOR JUHASZ
January 11, 2025

Dem Operatives Offer an Exhaustive Accounting of the Harris Campaign’s Faults
…Because you’re not getting it from that Pod Save America interview with Kamala Harris’ campaign leaders
By Tessa Stuart
https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/kamala-harris-what-went-wrong-1235183829/
November 28, 2024
Kamala Harris raised more than $1.5 billion dollars in less than 107 days — a staggering, incomprehensible sum of money that signified an enormous confidence in her ability to deliver the presidency — and then she went on to lose all seven battleground states and the popular vote to a four times-indicted, twice-impeached, convicted felon and adjudicated sexual abuser. If losing that badly weren’t fuck-up enough, the campaign appears to have ceased operations tens of millions of dollars in debt. The party’s financial outlook is so bleak that, on November 18, the Democratic National Committee laid off an undisclosed number of staff — with a single day’s notice and no severance — an act the party’s union decried as the result of “callous and short-sighted management.” It was a truly ignominious end to Harris’ much-hyped candidacy, so, unsurprisingly, there are a lot of people — Democratic voters, volunteers, and donors — asking, What the hell happened? Anyone looking for a satisfying answer won’t be getting it from senior Harris-Walz officials, four of whom — campaign manager Jen O’Malley Dillion, deputy campaign manager Quentin Fulks, and senior advisors Stephanie Cutter and David Plouffe — emerged from the still-smoldering wreckage of the campaign this week to chat with Pod Save America about “What Went Wrong.” Here’s what that conversation didn’t include: any mention of voters who may have sat out the election in disgust over the American-underwritten atrocities in Gaza; any meaningful engagement with the critique that attempting to court Republican voters might have come at the expense of turning out party faithful; or any reflection that there may have been a better use for $20 million worth of donations than a concert series featuring Katy Perry, Bon Jovi, and 2 Chainz. (At least one DNC source speculated the astronomical price tag associated with the concerts, which Cutter championed, was a contributing factor to the DNC’s decision to lay staff off early.) In the absence of introspection from senior campaign officials themselves, Rolling Stone spoke with consultants, strategists, and party staffers — some who worked directly with the Harris campaign, who requested anonymity to speak freely, and others who worked on prior presidential campaigns — to solicit their unvarnished opinions about where Harris-Walz went wrong. And they have a lot of opinions! Opinions about Joe Biden’s decision to run for reelection in the first place; about Harris’ decision to keep his senior team in place instead of firing them immediately; about the candidate’s reluctance to signal a meaningful break from a historically unpopular president; about the campaign’s decisions to squander their budget on stunt advertising while failing to deliver a consistent message to persuadable voters; about the pitfalls of relying on “efficiency” models to guide paid media investments; about their failure to answer to the biggest attack launched by their opponent — and, yeah, pretty much everyone agreed she should have gone on Joe Rogan. Any honest accounting has to begin with the fact that the biggest burden on Harris’ candidacy was the fact that it began in July 2024, rather than April 2023 — a reality created by Biden’s insistence on running for reelection after he aggressively signaled he would serve a single term in office. Only one halfway credible challenger emerged to raise questions about this decision, Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota, who was recruited into the race by Steve Schmidt. “What Joe Biden did was the greatest act of egotism in American history,” Schmidt says.

[Paladin]

40. "Unhappy with their choices"??? MotherFUCK these non-voters.

They put trump back in the White House. MotherFUCK them, now and forever more.

[thought crime]

85. Agree, but if it's close again I bet there will still be plenty of effort to get them back

We need to build a Movement and a Coalition that is much, much bigger than Maga so we don't have to go begging people who are still undecided two weeks before the election. We really should be able to come up with something more appealing than Fascism. Trump and his co-conspirators are probably going to make it easier for us, simply by destroying the economy and a lot of other stuff, but we need to stop thinking there is some zero-sum game between economics, social justice and environment/climate change, and pursue big ideas in all those spaces and others, too. In the next election, "It's the Movement, Stupid !", "It's the Coalition, Stupid !". (And the Movement/Coalition needs a Spicey new name, too. ).

[RobinA]

41. By The Way These

whiners think I wouldn't have voted yet, and I'm 67. Nobody addresses capital punishment, I'm not voting. Nobody talks about ending the prohibition on drugs, I'm not voting. Nobody talks about reworking our national parks to their former glory, I'm not voting. Nobody addresses the fact that the airlines get bazillions of tax payer dollars, but they still mug their own customers, said taxpayers, every chance they get.

[mcar]

42. Some of them turned on Harris because she didn't address

every little thing they wanted her to? In one rally?

This is why we can't have nice things.

[Tree Lady]

45. I have a problem with the wasn't serious reason

Yes they tried to smile and add hope for all of us but asking for help from celebrities didn't mean she wasn't serious.

So they sat out because Trump is awful but she is too? She wasn't a millionth of the evil Trump is. In fact I see no evil in her at all.

The only thing I do agree with is we should have found a better way to address the economy than saying it was good when people were struggling to pay bills because of groceries and gas so high.

The economy might have been good in the stock market but for us regular folks its not and to me thats the number one area we should have had a better message for.

[Karadeniz]

46. Im not even reading it. Why did trump publicly thank musk for his great

tabulator work? What's the secret between Trump and house speaker that Trump also said publicly? Why did Trump tell rally goers that he didn't have (or want, can't remember) to be there, but he had to (do the campaign thing, I guess). Why did musk brag that he could find out the election results hours before they were released?

[LoisB]

47. Bull. I have voted since 1968 and have yet to see a "perfect" candidate or one who addressed

all of MY issues.

[yogina]

48. they were Biden voters.

Democratic voters vote for Democrats.

[ananda]

49. I just hate this kind of bullshit.

Democrats did absolutely nothing wrong. Period.

Racists and misogynists, fueled by billionaires who
controlled the money and messaging system,
gamed the vote.

[JanMichael]

50. Dumb and worthless dung

[Clouds Passing]

55. Oh it's the Dems fault again

Getting tired of it. The Rs purged how many millions of democratic voters making the election way too close. And suppressed the D vote in every way possible. That’s not even mentioning loonie’s antics, the bomb threats, the refusals to let Native Americans vote, the R fight to disinclude mail in ballots and on and on and on add nausem.

People didn’t vote because they have politics fatigue. Plain and simple. The Rs have made politics so fucking ugly people can’t stand even thinking about it.

So quit blaming the Democrats.

[Jose Garcia]

141. Inactive voters have been purged in every election cycle

It didn't stop Biden from winning in 2020. It didn't stop Democrats from winning the House in 2018.

[Joinfortmill]

56. Thank you for this. My reaction to these folks is:

1. Shock at their inability to see the danger Trump was and is.
2. Their self-centered, self-serving thinking and inability to see the greater good in voting for the Democratic candidate against a convicted felon and self stated dictator wannabe.
3. Their inability to be honest with themselves about voting for a woman.
4. Rage at their stupidity and selfishness. They are responsible, in great part, for why we are in a Constitutional crisis.
5. So, f*ck them.

[Sympthsical]

57. Everything went perfectly. No notes.

Seriously, that is the overwhelming sentiment here (and way too many in the party infrastructure).

I legitimately don’t get how denial gets that deep. And now, when clarity is required most, it’s “Hold my beer - I can dig still deeper.”

I just don’t understand. Did everyone seriously just stop talking to other humans who exist outside their ideological enclaves? Can’t think of any reason it went wrong? Just Nazis and idiots all the way down?

And then the doubling down. “We don’t need that filth anyway!”

Lord almighty. We are completely shut out of power because the American people looked at us and went “Nope!” How - HOW - are people still able to sit there, in this perilous moment, and think, “You know, we really are doing an awesome job.”

My God. It is just astonishing to witness. It is like a million Dunning-Krugers combined to form one Mega DK 3000.

It is so dispiriting to observe. I just pray we have at least some politicians who know better than this.

[GusBob]

76. The non voters didn't vote either way

It’s not enough to be against Trump. Clearly he is filth
You have to give the voters something to vote FOR

[Self Esteem]

91. Yes. I said this all throughout 2024.

In 2020, Biden got away with not being Trump because Trump was the incumbent and the election was a referendum on him and his leadership.

Trump was not the incumbent in 2024 and the referendum was never going to be on him no matter how Harris or Biden tried to make it so.

I think Harris ran a decent campaign but I will admit that her leaning heavily into the 'democracy' argument didn't seem to land. I don't believe she helped herself having Liz Cheney campaign for her.

But I still think the conditions, and Gaza, ultimately kneecapped her and so I doubt the results would have been that different if she changed things up.

[Rob H.]

97. Exactly. The fiction that Harris' people ran a perfect campaign, as has been claimed here repeatedly

needs to die as quick and brutal a death as possible because until it does the same mistakes (and possibly entirely new ones) will keep being made.

[Sympthsical]

107. I want the word "flawless" excised from the dictionary

Right after the word "joyful"

Like watching an episode of Oprah's Favorite Campaigns.

[yardwork]

128. Several things are true at the same time.

I won't back off my opinion that voters who couldn't see the difference between Trump and Harris (or Trump and Hillary Clinton, or George W. Bush and Gore, or Kerry) are stupid. Or appallingly, deliberately uninformed.

Does the Democratic Party need to do better? Yes! Could Harris have run a better campaign? Sure. Should it have mattered, running against a person who promised to be a literal dictator?

Voting in a democracy requires responsibility, discipline, and some effort. It's not a dating show. It's not a sport.

Millions of Americans need to grow the fuck up and get over themselves. And if that's not a helpful attitude, well, it's a good thing I'm not a politician.

[RandySF]

59. Clickbait title.

[OrlandoDem2]

60. And here we are. Because of them. Idiots.

[LisaL]

62. They are motivated to vote in 2026?

Are we going to get to vote in 2026?

[Hassler]

63. So returning a rapist and convicted felon

34 times over weren't deal breakers. The years 2017-2021 didn't give them a clue what he'd do if given a second chance? Until proven otherwise, 2024 non voters, or Jill Steiners have a lot to do to convince me they aren't morons

[artemisia1]

64. IF there are free and open elections again, the Republicans will never win again. /nt

[tishaLA]

70. On Sarah Longwell's focus group podcast...

The folks in her focus groups said a lot of the same thing, but their level of engagement seemed much more varied (iirc, one person said that VP Harris had never held elected office before she became VP, while another talked about Ezra Klein's new book).

They said they didn't know her well enough (bullshit response that stands in for something else if you ask me) and bemoaned that there was too much talk about trans issues, which is really surprising because one campaign was discussing trans issues and it wasn't Harris's.

[MichMan]

72. I understand why someone maybe didn't know she was a senator

Every campaign ad I heard only mentioned she was a former prosecutor. No mention of being in the Senate or VP. Every time I heard that I thought they were making a mistake.

[waterwatcher123]

74. It is never a choice between a perfect candidate and pure evil and incompetence (although this election came close).

I have been going through the voting precinct data in our state (MN), and it amazes me how people completely switch positions from election to election (seem to lack a compass or a core set of beliefs). Lots of people go into a voting booth and only vote for president, or only for the US senate candidate, or vote for people from both parties and/ or skip down ballot candidates altogether. This is in a state which consistently ranks as number one in voter turnout. I expect it is even worse in other states (assuming they bother to show up).

Choosing not to vote because the candidate did not check all your boxes is an unacceptable abdication of one’s civic duty. The people who sat out the election are as guilty as the Republican cult members who voted for the Orange Mussolini terrorizing the country and world right now.

[Fla_Democrat]

75. These threads are always so much fun.

[Wingus Dingus]

78. I don't buy any of these people's bullshit excuses.

[betsuni]

81. Me me me me me me. I don't believe these claims to be engaged with politics and yet both sides same.

Probably like one of those international polls where the U.S. is way down the list of math skills yet number one in confidence that they're great at math.

The celebrity thing is a right-wing talking point (used against Obama, Hillary, Harris). The old Elite as an Insult and many of these celebrities are women and not white. Not serious... But Trump's always "joking," like Reagan joking about launching nuclear missiles, but boys will be boys.

[Behind the Aegis]

89. Yup! Like I said upthread...myopia.

Too many are fucking short-sighted and so goddamned concerned with their own pet issues, if the candidate isn't perfect (purity), then their attitude is "FUCK THEM!". These assholes were so short-sighted the LAST time, we lost Roe V. Wade. Frankly, they are no different than those who are making the excuse "it's all about racism and sexism", it's as much a bullshit claim as the fucksticks saying there would be no difference in Harris' handling of the war in the ME. The right is mesmerized by social issues and it is the same thing that cripples the left, the get caught up in nonsense battles and distracted by bullshit.

[JI7]

95. Yup, it's always Oprah and Beyonce that was so offensive

This is why I always bring up Elon Musk to show the reality.

But we are to believe they don't like Beyonce becsuse they are anti oligarch but they are fine with Elon Musk.

[valleyrogue]

82. So it is all the Democrats' fault people didn't vote, voted third party, or voted GOP.

What a steaming pile of bullshit.

It is voters' responsibility to get off their asses to vote, to vote Democratic and save the country, and to refuse to vote GOP.

Their failure to do so isn't the fault of the Democratic Party or the bullshit idea of "messaging."

It is entirely on them.

[betsuni]

93. So many senseless mindless commonsense-free excuses. It's on voters.

The claim that Democrats drove voters into Republican arms makes me want to scream.

[LudwigPastorius]

88. "...she left early after Harris failed to address the issues that mattered most to her."

So, not only did she not get her pony, she got a fascist police state as well.

Enjoy.

[Self Esteem]

92. The responses to this thread are baffling.

It's like everyone here as amnesia.

We've seen in multiple elections - from 2000 with Nader to 2016 with Stein - that voters typically only vote on issues that matter the most to them. We can lecture these voters all we want but I am just perplexed why anyone is surprised by this? I know everyone here discounted the polls (which were more right than wrong) but every pre-election poll throughout 2024, whether with Biden or Harris as the nominee, had red flags that you all continually ignored.

The polls that showed Trump improving among Black men? Nonsense. Why would a Black person vote for a known racist?

The polls that showed Biden, and then Harris doing worse among Hispanics than any Democrat in maybe ever? Yeah, again not reliable!

The polls that showed younger voters were either apathetic or shifting to Trump? Again, no way! That ain't going to happen!

Everyone routinely buried their heads throughout 2024 and now act surprised that what these polls told us was going to happen actually happened.

Democratic-leaning voters are not immune to being selfish voters. I'd wager a majority of this country votes solely on how they perceive the issues - not how the issues will impact a stranger a few states over.

For some, they voted solely on inflation. The cost of living was cheaper under Trump, it's now higher under Biden, ergo as much as I don't like Trump, he can get prices back down to pre-2021 levels.

It's not logical but it's a mistake to think voters vote on logic. They don't. They vote on emotion. They always have. And voters were largely angry in 2024. Generally, anger does not benefit the incumbent party.

It didn't in 2020.

It didn't in 2016.

It didn't in 2008.

It didn't in 1992.

It didn't in 1980.

It didn't in 1968.

Voters were angry at prices. Voters were angry at what was happening in Israel. Voters were angry at what was happening in Ukraine.

Again, it's not logical but it's expected.

The only reason Biden won in 2020 was because voters were angry at Trump, Exit polls were clear: nearly 70% of Biden voters cast their vote not for Joe Biden but against Donald Trump. Only 30% of Trump voters said they voted against Biden and not for Trump.

In 2024, a lot of Americans weren't mad at Trump as much as they had been four years earlier. They were now more mad at Biden and yes, that included voters who supported Biden in 2020. And because Harris was always going to be an extension of Biden, a lot of 'em were mad at her too.

Some came back. I believe Harris won more of these voters over than Biden ever could have - but it wasn't enough.

And it shouldn't shock anyone.

[JI7]

94. They voted for a Vile Creature that was on full display

They were ok with the fucked up things he said and did.

[ismnotwasm]

98. FAFO

I guess. Jesus.

[republianmushroom]

99. Well let them live and learn.

Hope they are happy and content with no whining.

Some lessons in life are harder than others.

[Passages]

101. The Democrats have been losing significantly since 2010.

Obama oversaw a net loss of 947 state legislative seats, 63 House seats, 11 senators, and 13 governors.

Now, of course, we lost it all, the House, Senate, and White House.


We can spend time blaming people who did not vote, or we can win them back and add more Independents..possibly some red state voters as well.

If we fight for the policies we know are popular across a political spectrum, and do not deliver because of that, then we will continue to see demagogues take that advantage, again.

[Keepthesoulalive]

105. What policies are those?

Democrats have championed policies that will help everyone. The republicans champion hate. When people say I expected it to hurt others but not me, You are not going to reach them. West Virginia lives off of government money and they voted to cut their own throats. What can you say or do to help people who are intentionally ignorant?

[Passages]

110. Universal healthcare for one, start there. Getting sick is USA's number 1 reason for bankruptcy.

We did not lose by such a large margin because of West Virginia.

You educate the ignorant and, as best you can, with town hall, using areas strategically.

Harris had a great and I do mean great medical debt policy, and yet she did not advertise it very well, IMO.

Invite those people suffering in debt and meet with them face to face in town hall settings and use many other Dems to hold them too. This way, everyone has a chance to understand how that policy will work for them or a loved one.

Dump the celebrities, they add nothing to the advantage of winning.

If we do not change, we'll keep losing.

[Keepthesoulalive]

112. They didn't give a damn

The people that voted for Trump didn’t care about universal health insurance, they have actively campaigned against it. They don’t need no government healthcare, I don’t need a union I can negotiate for my benefits, DEI, those immigrants are taking our jobs and also asking for welfare. Please stop asking people who are irrational to make rational informed decisions. He’s getting ready to start Great Depression number 2 and they would still vote for him. When their arrogance turns to pain then they might get the message and vote for the person that can make all of our lives better.

[Passages]

113. Then we'll keep losing.

[Keepthesoulalive]

114. Look at the MTG thread

It shows you what we are up against. Americans have to want to save America. If you keep voting for criminals, demagogues, grifters, charlatans, billionaires, and stupid incompetent leaders,. We will all keep losing. When the democrats tried to improve our healthcare system, the republicans blocked it
And called it Obamacare , oh no socialized medicine. I encourage anyone to try and break through the tribalism. They are doing rural outreach in our district it isn’t working ,they would rather suffer than vote for a democrat.

[Passages]

115. I'm well aware of what we are up against.

We want the same thing, to get them out of power. I want them out of power for at least a generation, that is how long it will take to remove their corruption.

If what the Dem leadership, along with their "expert" consultants, did work, we would not be where we are today.

We differ on how to win.

[Keepthesoulalive]

118. The only way you can win is by

Trying to out racist, hate on the LGBTQ community more, deport more immigrants and still you won’t win . They have perfected the bullhorn and we can’t compete in that arena. Folks will either get it after this catastrophe or we will be a third world country. I don’t often agree with Bernie but he’s right about the people with obscene wealth controlling this country, but they are about to find out also. The news media has failed us . Influencers and propaganda are the new cracker barrel. I am active in our local Democratic Party and I go to the meetings, I encourage others to do the same.

[questionseverything]

121. When the aca passed we had 60 Democratic senators

The bill passed through reconciliation so only 51 votes were needed

We really can’t truthfully blame the lack of the public option on republicans

[Keepthesoulalive]

122. After reading about the horse trading going on and the procedural hurdles

No republicans voted for the bill and they have voted in lockstep to repeal it more than 60 times.
The republicans own the attempts to keep people uninsured and they continue to vote for them. Stop blaming democrats for the republican quagmire. It’s up to the voters to care about themselves their families, their health and their finances. Judging by the excuses they are making , they are not ready to change. They are adults hopefully they can find reputable sources for information . This disaster is on them.

[questionseverything]

123. I was replying to post# 114 , you said repubs blocked dems

On the aca

I pointed out they didn’t have the numbers to do anything with only 40 repub senators and only needing 51 democratic votes for reconciliation


I am not trying to defend repubs in anyway but accuracy/ truth still matters

[Keepthesoulalive]

125. We have had in our rank's people who were dems in name only

I’m not sure if Lieberman was still there. We can nitpick it to death as republicans and dems light . But if accuracy matters put the blame where it belongs on republicans and the people who vote them into office. They voted a felon into office who did everything he could to destroy ACA the first time. He will succeed this time.

[questionseverything]

132. Lieberman was kinda the public face fighting the public option

But

Max baucus, kent conrad, blanche Lincoln, bill nelson and tom carper were the democrats that would not vote for it to pass out of committee

Funny aside here… none of those people are still in congress but if they are still alive, they still have government funded healthcare

It just seems hypocritical to me

[Keepthesoulalive]

134. Ok

And where does that help the current situation. I love to garden but I don’t get in the weeds. The weeds of both sides.

[questionseverything]

135. I'm old, I was taught to study and remember the past so we don't repeat the bad parts

[betsuni]

136. They had 60 votes for for 4 months and 10 days -- September 24, 2009 to February 4, 2010.

The House and Senate had both passed the bill, but there were differences between the two bills. Al Franken:

"Ordinarily, this wouldn't be a big deal. We'd convene a conference committee, hash out the differences, and then both chambers would vote to pass the unified bill that came out of the conference. But Republicans were still hell-bent on stopping us from passing health care reform, and now that they once again had forty-one votes in the Senate, they could stop us from voting on that unified bill."

Reconciliation was the only way to pass the bill.

Obama: "'What is it about sixty votes these folks don't understand?' I groused to my staff. 'Should I tell the thirty million people who can't get covered that they're going to have to wait another ten years because we can't get them a public option?'"

[alarimer]

106. Idiots

If they couldn't see what an existential threat Trump was and is, they are a special kind of stupid. For God's sake, just fucking vote for the least bad option. YOU DON'T ACTUALLY HAVE TO LIKE THEM. This idea that w me are to supposed to "love" the candidate is nonsense. Just pick the better one. It's not that hard.

I mean, Project 2025 did seem outlandish and hard to believe, so it was probably difficult for any Democrat to relay the threat. It sounded a little crazy, but here we are.

[Paladin]

108. Stay-at-home non-voters put trump back in the White House.

Fuck each and every one of them.

[travelingthrulife]

117. AOC was smart enough to sit down and learn from Pelosi.

She has much more grace and incisiveness since she did this.

[CousinIT]

126. Just IMO anyone knowing Trump's record and Harris's but didn't vote...

... and/or didn't vote for Harris (ie: did some third party bullshit) is incredibly stupid. HOW COULD THEY NOT SEE that Trump II would be a goddamned fucking DISASTEROUS end to our Republic?

EVERYONE ELSE DID.

DUH.

The deserve no "understanding". THEY ARE THE ONES WHO NEED TO GAIN UNDERSTANDING of what the goddamned choice was.

READ THE FUCKING ROOM.

I WILL NEVER FORGIVE THESE DOPEY JACKASSES.

EVER.

[rickyhall]

129. Whatever their eexcuse

ABSOLUTE IDIOTS ANYWAY - WTF

[H2O Man]

140. Way recommended.

I though VP Harris was a good candidate who was failed by her campaign staff. And I know ..... the candidate owns either the win or loss, and excuses are only made by the losing team. I thought she did as well as hoped for in the debate. But I do not agree the our candidates' campaigns focus on trying to get the support of republicans, rather than, say, the former Democrats who have become independents.

As far as I can tell, AOC, Bernie, Jasmine Crockett, and a few others are the leadership style that we need now.