WASHINGTON — Anger and soul-searching took hold of the Democratic Party on Nov 6, after US Vice-President Kamala Harris suffered an election loss that left some party officials and voters dumbfounded.
Harris was the self-styled underdog against her Republican rival, Donald Trump, having joined the race a little over three months ago, but the nature of her loss has some Democrats asking questions about the future of the party.
The sharpest criticism contained accusations that the party had lied to its supporters about US President Joe Biden's mental fitness until a disastrous TV debate with Trump in June raised alarm bells and ultimately led to the President exiting the race.
One Democratic donor asked: "Why did Joe Biden hold on for as long as he did? He should have not concealed his (health) and dropped out a lot sooner."
Biden, 81, has said privately he thought he was the only Democrat who could beat Trump, and vowed publicly that he was fit to be president for another four years. When he dropped out of the race in July, he said he had decided it was "in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down."
Biden's announcement in April 2023 that he would run for re-election was greeted with scepticism by many Democrats, but likely potential challengers quickly agreed to join his campaign as advisers, rather than challenge him.
One Democratic official placed blame on "malpractice" by Biden's inner circle. "No one would tell him 'no'," the official said.
The official criticised the White House communication and political teams. "So it's Joe, but also Joe's core apparatus. Stunning and well documented chickens coming home to roost."
One Harris aide said the Vice-President's campaign was doomed from the start by her loyalty to the unpopular president. Democrats could have won with someone who broke from him, offered different policies, and presented as a candidate of change. Canada's Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, for example, cut immigration levels under criticism from the right, and Europe's far-right parties have vowed to toughen immigration rules, while peeling away votes from the centre left.
One major error, the aide said, was Harris' initial remark on the ABC show The View that she could not think of anything she would have done differently than Biden.
The party "needs a complete reboot", hedge fund manager Bill Ackman, a long-time Democratic donor who endorsed Trump in 2024, posted on X.
"The party lied to the American people about the cognitive health and fitness of the president," he said, and then did not hold a primary to replace him.
The Harris campaign and the White House declined to comment.
Concerns about the problems with Harris' run for president ran deeper, though. Two groups Harris was counting on to beat the former president — increasingly diverse young voters, believed to be motivated by climate change, liberal values and her social media savvy, and women worried about shrinking abortion rights under a Republican — moved in Trump's direction instead.
Trump's overall share of voters under 45 was up two percentage points from 2020 as was his share of women voters, Edison Research exit poll data show. Trump also increased his support in many suburban areas, where Democrats thought they had made inroads.
The shift came even as the Harris campaign insisted the race was close, and that she was picking up new voters.
One Democratic National Committee official said he was fielding angry text messages from party members late on Nov 5 night. "They feel lied to by the campaign," the official said.
Harris' defeat is the Democrats' second bitter loss to Trump over the past three elections. Hillary Clinton's 2016 defeat had paved the way for Biden to run.
"We dug out of a deep hole but not enough. A devastating loss," David Plouffe, senior adviser to the campaign, wrote on X, a remark that seemed to reference Biden's weak polls before he dropped out of the race.
A convicted felon, Trump has made unorthodox economic proposals, including blanket tariffs on imports, that may be costly for US consumers and businesses, economists say. His plans to deport millions of people who are in the country illegally would upend industries and communities.
Still, Trump gained with Hispanic voters, and had easy wins in Georgia and North Carolina, states where Democrats thought they were competitive. Harris' whirlwind campaign had banked on a theme of inclusivity in its messaging and stronger fiscal support for families to unify a winning coalition, but fell short.
Biden and Harris' support of Israel during its assault on Gaza split the Democratic Party, with many progressive Democrats calling unsuccessfully for the US to curb its military aid to Israel. That cost votes among left-leaning Democrats.
Harris remained at her residence in Washington all Nov 5 evening while crowds waited outside her alma mater Howard University, where the campaign had set up a stage and a media centre, anticipating days of vote counting before a result. She finally arrived at the university campus on Nov 6 afternoon to deliver her concession speech, which included thanking Biden.
"While I concede this election, I do not concede the fight that fuelled this campaign," she said.
Source: Reuters
