Paul Rivera, the Democratic strategist who authored the Democratic National Committee's internal review of the 2024 election, concluded that the Biden administration's stance on the war in Gaza cost Kamala Harris substantial voter support. Rivera's finding stands in direct contrast to the official DNC autopsy report, which makes no mention of the conflict.
The DNC commissioned Rivera to produce a comprehensive assessment of the party's 2024 performance, with the goal of identifying shortcomings and informing future campaign strategy.
Rivera determined that the White House's Gaza policy alienated key voter blocs and directly hurt Harris's vote totals.
Despite that conclusion, the DNC's public 192-page autopsy contains no references to Gaza or Israel — an omission that has drawn criticism from within the party.
Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif. highlighted the absence of the issue from the official document. Khanna had previously pressed Harris and the party to address the situation in Gaza during the 2024 campaign.
David Hogg, a former DNC vice chair, said he discussed the matter directly with Rivera and told him Gaza contributed to Democratic losses among younger voters.
Rivera also met with the Institute for Middle East Understanding, where he repeated his assessment that the Gaza war damaged Democratic performance in 2024.
A DNC spokesperson declined to comment on Rivera's specific findings.
By excluding Gaza from its official post-election analysis, party leadership avoided a politically sensitive topic — but risks alienating younger voters and Arab-American communities who expressed strong views on the conflict during the campaign.
The party faces continued pressure to address the issues Rivera identified as significant factors in its 2024 losses. Failing to publicly acknowledge Gaza's role could complicate efforts to rebuild trust with voters who feel their concerns were dismissed.
