As the Democratic National Committee prepares to choose a new leader, outgoing chair Jaime Harrison reflected on the 2024 presidential election, saying the party should have “stuck by” then-President Joe Biden last year.
Harrison, who lost a U.S. Senate race in South Carolina to Lindsey Graham in 2020, became chair of the DNC in 2021. He argued that if the party had stayed with Biden, Harris would have had a better chance to win.
Harrison said he was surprised by Biden’s debate performance and initially still believed in the former president’s ability to win, despite setbacks. He stated, “My default is to stick by my people, right, particularly people who have worked hard on behalf of the party. And that’s not always the mentality of everybody in my party.”
However, Harrison acknowledged that the party’s focus on “building a race” for Biden up to the last minute might have hindered Harris’s campaign. He contrasted this with the Republican Party’s unity around then-President Donald Trump, stating that sometimes, “Democrats can learn something in terms of, let’s put a line of defense around our folks and defend them as well.”
Following the interview, Harrison objected to the headline, which read, “The DNC’s outgoing chair says Democrats should have stuck with Joe Biden in 2024.” He clarified that he meant to say “stuck by” rather than “stuck with,” advocating for defending Biden as the party’s nominee, not necessarily adopting his candidacy.
Harrison’s comments come as the Democratic Party continues to grapple with its 2024 election performance and looks to restart with a new leader.