DNC Report Finds Harris's Gaza Stance Cost Votes
A secret report being compiled by DNC officials has found that Vice President Harris's stance on the conflict in Gaza cost her votes in the previous election cycle. The finding underscores the impact of foreign policy positions on domestic electoral outcomes, particularly among key voter demographics.
- The DNC has kept the full 2024 election autopsy report "under lock and key" and decided against making its findings public, signaling the explosive nature of its conclusions within the party. - The report's finding that the Gaza stance was a "net negative" was shared by DNC officials in a meeting with the pro-Palestinian IMEU Policy Project, a detail Axios independently verified. - During the campaign, Vice President Harris attempted to balance acknowledging the "devastating" and "inhumane conditions" in Gaza with a firm stance on Israel's right to self-defense. This led to different campaign ads targeting different constituencies, such as Jewish voters in Pennsylvania and Arab American voters in Michigan. - The administration's policy led to organized opposition, including the "Abandon Harris" campaign and a significant "uncommitted" protest vote in the Democratic primaries, which won 36 delegates. - In Dearborn, Michigan, a city with a large Arab-American population, Harris's support fell to 36%, a steep drop from the nearly 70% Joe Biden received in 2020. - A poll conducted after the election found that 29% of voters who supported Biden in 2020 but not Harris in 2024 cited "ending Israel's violence in Gaza" as their primary reason for withholding their vote. - An analysis of vote data in Michigan's most heavily Arab-American and Muslim cities showed Harris received at least 22,000 fewer votes than Biden did in 2020. - Criticism was also directed at the Harris campaign for specific strategic decisions, such as refusing to allow a Palestinian-American speaker a platform at the Democratic National Convention, despite calls from members of Congress and the United Auto Workers.
