Rep. Marc Veasey (D-TX) is the first known House Democrat to openly call for Democratic National Committee Chairman Ken Martin’s resignation in light of the party’s 2024 autopsy report that was released on Thursday, over 18 months after the presidential election.
“There doesn’t seem to be a plan to turn things around and the clock is ticking,” Veasey told Semafor. “November is literally around the corner. … I believe it’s time for him to move on.”
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Martin previously said he didn’t want to authorize the release of the report on the Democrats’ 2024 election losses because he feared it would sow further intraparty division ahead of the midterm elections, but he reversed course in an attempt to be transparent with the public.
“For full transparency, I am releasing the report as we received it, in its entirety, unedited and unabridged,” Martin said in a statement. “It does not meet my standards, and it won’t meet your standards, but I am doing this because people need to be able to trust the Democratic Party and trust our word.”
In the hours since the 192-page report’s release, the DNC chairman is facing growing backlash from within his own party.
Former DNC Vice Chairman David Hogg promptly called for Martin to step down.
“This autopsy, and the months-long debate about even releasing the report, is a demoralizing joke,” Hogg said. “It’s clear that Chair Ken Martin has lost the confidence of his staff, supporters, and most importantly, millions of Americans counting on the DNC to help Democrats win up and down the ballot in 2026 and 2028.”
“Ken Martin should resign,” he added, “and the DNC should select a new leader who demonstrates competence, creativity, moral clarity, and a relentless commitment to actually changing the broken Democratic Party brand.”
The two feuded last year, forcing Hogg to step down from his DNC post. Their public clash stemmed from Hogg’s plan to fund younger, more progressive primary challengers against Democratic incumbents in safe blue districts. Hogg believed the Democratic Party needed a major shake-up, but Martin disagreed with his approach.
Leaders We Deserve, Hogg’s grassroots organization dedicated to electing young progressives, is also calling for Martin’s departure by requesting signatures for a new petition.
Steve Schale, a Democratic strategist in Florida, likewise criticized the DNC chairman’s decision to release the incomplete report.
“Why not say this in 2024, or bring in more people to finish [the report], instead of turning this into the dumbest media cycle for 7-8 months?” Schale posted on X.
The report sought to identify why the Democratic Party suffered widespread losses in the 2024 elections, most notably the presidential race, but the report’s conclusions were remarkably lacking.
The autopsy largely refrained from criticizing former Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee who lost to President Donald Trump, and even suggested that her last-minute nomination might have saved some Democrats in other races.
KEN MARTIN RELEASES DNC’S 2024 AUTOPSY AFTER PRESSURE FROM WITHIN
The report did not touch on former President Joe Biden‘s decision to run for reelection at 81 despite widespread concerns about his age, Harris’s rushed succession of Biden, or intraparty divisions over Israel’s polarizing war with Hamas in Gaza.
There were many annotations in the document, showing that the autopsy was unfinished, and the conclusion section was also missing. The report was written by Democratic strategist Paul Rivera.
