Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore / Flickr

Former presidential candidate and Forward Party Founder Andrew Yang says that if Democratic leaders are looking for someone to blame for their 2024 loss, they need to take a hard look in the mirror.

In his most recent podcast, he said Democrats messed up in 3 big ways: One, they didn't allow for a contested primary. Instead, they (2) attacked their own members for offering voters another option, like US Rep. Dean Phillips. 

And three, none of the rising stars in the party (candidates who would have brought enthusiasm to a contested primary) stepped up. For example, Gretchen Whitmer and Josh Shapiro, who chose to remain "candidates in waiting."

Yang believes that if Shapiro or California Govenor Gavin Newsom had thrown their hat into the ring, it would have forced the Democratic Party to allow a contested primary. 

"It would have been the right thing to do for the party. The right thing to do for the country," Yang said. "Then you have an energetic primary. The ratings would have been through the roof."

Yang argues that it would've only taken one to say "I'm running" to bring in more candidates like Amy Klobuchar or JB Pritzker or Pete Buttigieg -- and embrace the type of new generation of leadership Kamala Harris talked about. 

More importantly, it would have shown more of a commitment to democracy, which the Democratic Party made a referendum in the 2024 cycle, and yet, when voters decided on the issue, they didn't pick the Democratic nominee.

The episode's full description:

"In this fiery episode of Forward, Andrew and Zach dive into the Democratic Party's biggest failures, from leadership gaps to missed media chances, that left voters frustrated and paved the way for Trump’s resurgence. How can the Democratic Party address its internal fragmentation? Will they learn the consequences of political conformity and careerism in Washington? With bold critiques, Andrew and Zach argue for a political shakeup to truly represent disillusioned Americans and bridge the gap with working-class voters."

Check out the full conversation above.