Washington, D.C. – After losing the White House and potentially both houses of Congress in Tuesday’s election, Democratic leaders are openly blaming President Joe Biden for the party’s poor performance, with former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi at the forefront.
In an interview with The New York Times, Pelosi argued that the party might have done better if Biden had stepped down sooner. “Had the president gotten out sooner, there may have been other candidates in the race,” Pelosi said. Biden withdrew in July after a lackluster debate against former President Donald Trump, endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris, who ultimately lost to Trump.
Pelosi suggested that an open primary would have given Harris more time to connect with voters, possibly strengthening her candidacy. “If it had been much earlier, it would have been different,” she added, noting that Biden’s endorsement of Harris made it difficult for other candidates to run.
Others within the party voiced similar criticisms. Harris aides told Politico that Biden’s late exit hurt the campaign. “Joe Biden is the singular reason Kamala Harris and Democrats lost tonight,” one aide said. A former Biden aide countered, telling Axios that Harris’s team was “making excuses,” asking, “How did you spend $1 billion and not win?”
The blame game escalated, with former Biden staff also pointing at Obama-era officials, accusing them of promoting Democratic infighting that pushed Biden out while being unenthusiastic about Harris’s candidacy.
Lawmakers are also speaking out. Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman criticized those within the party who he said actively pushed for Biden’s ouster. “For those that decided and moved to break Biden… it’s appropriate to own the outcome and fallout,” Fetterman said to Semafor. New York Congressman Tom Suozzi blamed the loss partly on the party’s focus on “political correctness,” suggesting Democrats struggled against GOP criticisms on issues like policing and traditional values.
New York Congressman Ritchie Torres pointed to “the far left” for alienating key voting blocs with divisive slogans like “Defund the Police.” Torres argued these messages drove away many Latino, Black, Asian, and Jewish voters.
Independent Senator Bernie Sanders, however, faulted Democratic leadership for failing to connect with working-class Americans. “While the Democratic leadership defends the status quo, the American people are angry and want change,” Sanders said, expressing doubts that the party would learn from its mistakes. Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison responded on social media, calling Sanders’ criticism “straight up BS.”
As Democrats assess what went wrong, the party faces deep divisions about its strategy and future direction in a turbulent political landscape.