Democratic Lawmaker Says Party Backed Status Quo Candidates in 2024

A Democratic representative from California said Sunday that the party failed to connect with working-class voters because it backed candidates unwilling to challenge what he described as a rigged economic system. Speaking on NBC's Meet the Press, the lawmaker weighed in on a newly released Democratic National Committee report examining the party's 2024 election loss.

"We do need to recognize that the status quo has failed," he said. "This is a system that has created massive inequality. That the economy is lopsided and unfair, and it's not working for many working-class and middle-class Americans. The lawmaker rejected the idea that the party should abandon reasoned debate but said it needs a stronger economic message aimed at voters struggling financially.

He also reflected on former Vice President Kamala Harris and the report's conclusion that the White House did not do enough over several years to improve her standing before Democrats switched nominees. "In retrospect, had she been in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Ohio talking about the economy and been the lead for the president's economic policies — the Inflation Reduction Act, the American Rescue Plan, the CHIPS Act — perhaps we would have done better," he said.

The lawmaker defended Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin amid calls for his resignation following backlash over the handling of the autopsy report. "Ken Martin is a Paul Wellstone Democrat," he said. " He added that Martin could have handled the autopsy process better and should work more closely with state parties ahead of the 2026 and 2028 election cycles.

"Could he have handled this autopsy better? Absolutely," he said. "Should he be working more with state parties to make sure they're funded into '26 and '28? Absolutely. " The DNC report was commissioned after Democrats' losses in the 2024 election cycle and was reportedly delayed before its public release amid internal disagreements over its findings.