A long-withheld political autopsy examining Democrats’ electoral losses in 2024 suggested the national party could learn a few things from Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego.
Democratic National Committee Chairman Ken Martin commissioned the report following a dismal 2024 that saw Republicans win control of Congress and the White House, but he refused to publish the document until now, saying it failed to live up to his standards.
“When I received the report late last year, it wasn’t ready for primetime. Not even close. And because no source material was provided, fixing it would have meant starting over, from the beginning — every conversation, every interview, every data set,” Martin said.
The published report is littered with notes from Democratic officials, highlighting sections of the report that lacked citations or conflicted with public reporting on election data.
But officials did not dispute a small section highlighting Gallego’s victory in Arizona.
The report pointed out that Gallego won Arizona by 2.4 points over Republican Kari Lake, even as President Donald Trump defeated Democrat Kamala Harris in the state.
Gallego outperformed Harris by 8% statewide.
The report's authors credited Gallego for his ability to appeal to Latino voters, who swung towards Republicans in 2024.
“Gallego's personal story and consistent presence in Latino communities helped him buck this trend, winning Latinos by approximately 20 points — 12 points better than Harris,” according to the report. “Gallego's working-class background, military service, and authentic community connections gave him credibility with Latinos the national campaign could not replicate.”
During the campaign, Gallego made appealing to Latino voters a priority.
“But I lived in communities like this, where people just wanted to have a chance at the American dream,” Gallego said at an event days before the 2024 election. “They were going to keep their nose clean. They're going to send their kids to school. They want to make sure their kids got a good job. They could buy a home. And if we're the party that talks about that, we're the party here that gives hope and we're not dividing them, then we're going to win.”
He specifically highlighted the need to make a viable economic pitch to Latino men.
“Latino men pride themselves on making sure they can provide for their families, they can buy a home, and it’s just been tough,” Gallego said.
Gallego won the Latino vote by 20 points in Arizona, 12 points better than Harris, according to the report.
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