Washington, DC – Today the DNC announced a top-to-bottom review of the 2014 election. In the coming weeks, DNC Chair Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz will appoint leading Democratic Party organizers, activists and strategists to review what happened in 2014 and what the party needs to improve in coming midterm elections. The Democratic Party has failed to translate success in presidential years to midterms and off years.

Wasserman Schultz announced the new effort in a video for supporters, saying in part:
 

We know we’re right on the issues. The American people believe in the causes we’re fighting for. But the electoral success we have when our presidential nominee is able to make the case to the country as a whole, doesn’t translate in other elections.

That’s why we lost in 2010, and it’s why we lost on Tuesday.  We’ve got to do better.

So that’s why, we’re going to kick off an effort at the DNC to do a top-to-bottom assessment of how we can do better in future midterm elections like these.
…
We are going to look at where we fell short. We're going to identify our mistakes. And we're going to talk to the smartest people in our party and the most dedicated Democrats in the country to build on what we’ve done that works and find solutions for things that are broken.

Wasserman Schultz will appoint a committee in the coming weeks with a goal of releasing the report at the DNC’s winter meeting early next year.

See below for a video message from DNC Chair Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz.

Watch HERE.

TRANSCRIPT:

Hello fellow Democrats,

I'm not going to gloss over the facts: on Tuesday, the Republicans had a good night. We didn't. We worked hard for months, we even won a few tough races, but it wasn't enough.

Sometimes, you work your heart out, leave it all on the field and still come up short. In a democracy, on occasion, the other side is going to win. When that happens, you don't give up – instead, you focus, review and press forward!

Even if I'm disappointed, I'm not discouraged. And that is because of people like you. 

Whether I’m talking to a grandmother giving up her weekends to volunteer on a campaign back in Florida or a teacher who comes up to say that he chipped in five bucks to one of our emails, Democrats like you do amazing things.

For months, you all made calls. You all talked to your neighbors. You knocked doors. You donated. You stood with President Obama, and you stood up for middle class families.

You inspire me every single day, and I don't want another minute to go by without you hearing me say how much I appreciate what you do.

So, thank you.

Your dedication is at the heart and soul of who we are as a party.

But our party has a problem.

We know we’re right on the issues. The American people believe in the causes we’re fighting for. But the electoral success we have when our presidential nominee is able to make a case to the country as a whole, doesn’t translate in other elections.

That’s why we lost in 2010, and it’s why we lost on Tuesday.

We’ve got to do better.

So that’s why, we’re going to kick off an effort at the DNC to do a top-to-bottom assessment of how we can do better in future midterm elections like these.

Of course our next big and most important task at the DNC is to elect a Democratic president of the United States in 2016.   And we have the building blocks to do just that.  We will be talking more about that in the coming months.  But finding real and lasting solutions to our mid-term election issues is critical for the success of the policies we care about and the long term strength of our party.

Within the next couple of weeks, I’m going to name a committee of key party stakeholders and experts, who will spearhead an examination of what went wrong, and how the Democratic Party can do a better job of connecting in midterm elections.

We are going to look at where we fell short. We're going to identify our mistakes. And we're going to talk to the smartest people in our party and the most dedicated Democrats in the country to build on what we’ve done that works and find solutions for things that are broken.

That's where you come in.

Because we are committed as a party to inclusiveness, we're going to ask you to be part of this conversation. We're going to ask you for your best ideas. And we're going to ask for your patience as we test out new theories, and try new ways of doing things.

And we’re going to report out our findings by our DNC winter meeting early next year — with measures by which you can hold us accountable.

If we're going to be successful, we need you to be part of this effort — and to bring to this project the same dedication you've shown again and again this year. 

If you want to add your voice to this discussion, take a minute to let us know.

Thank you, again! You'll hear more from us soon!