How the Democratic Party Played Favorites

From Hillary’s 2016 Nomination to Harris’s 2024 Ascendancy

At WPS.News, we maintain an active presence on Bluesky through two accounts: our primary profile at wps.news and a secondary one at wtfm.lol. Recently, on the secondary account, we posted a candid statement:

“The Democrats rigged their primaries three times to pick their candidate, but the Republicans voted Donald J. Trump into office without any rigging. If we want real democracy, we need to call out unfair practices on all sides, not just one party.”

This observation often meets resistance within Democratic circles. Many struggle to acknowledge how their party has played favorites within the political system for decades — a practice tracing back to the Clinton era (we plan to examine Bill Clinton’s presidential record more fully on Occupy 2.5 in August 2025).

Here on the international stage of WPS.News, we present a clear and detailed examination of how the Democratic National Committee (DNC) has acquired a reputation reminiscent of the infamous Tammany Hall political machine—manipulating primary elections and controlling outcomes behind closed doors rather than fostering genuine democratic competition. This pattern of favoritism has left many voters disappointed and disillusioned.

In 2016, the DNC’s favoritism was made unmistakably clear. Leaked emails revealed efforts to undermine Bernie Sanders’s insurgent campaign, favoring Hillary Clinton’s bid (Green & Costa, 2016). Despite Sanders’s widespread grassroots support and numerous primary victories, the party machinery consolidated superdelegate backing and controlled procedural elements to secure Clinton’s nomination (Cohen, 2018). Such overt bias disenfranchised many progressives and cast doubt on the party’s commitment to democratic principles.

The 2020 Democratic primary showcased a different but related dynamic. Joe Biden initially lagged behind progressive contenders, but after a strong showing in the South Carolina primary — fueled by significant support from Black voters — his campaign gained momentum (Kelly, 2020). Shortly thereafter, centrist candidates such as Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar withdrew and endorsed Biden, effectively clearing the field. This consolidation was widely understood as an orchestrated move by party elites to back the candidate they deemed most electable against Donald Trump (Pearson, 2020).

The 2024 cycle further complicated matters. Following Joe Biden’s unexpected withdrawal early in the primary season, Vice President Kamala Harris was effectively handed the nomination without a meaningful primary contest. This development provoked frustration among many Democrats who viewed the process as bypassing essential democratic competition (Johnson, 2024). Critics likened Harris’s ascendance to a “right of kings” succession rather than an open election, reigniting concerns over the party’s transparency and inclusivity (Smith, 2024).

For many voters, these patterns resemble backroom politics more than genuine democratic elections. The process is less about open competition and more about insiders making decisions behind closed doors—decisions that ultimately shape who the party presents to the public. The reality is that primary contests are often carefully managed, with favored candidates receiving institutional advantages and others sidelined. This approach undermines the fundamental democratic ideal that voters should determine their party’s nominee through fair and open elections.

If the Democratic Party intends to rebuild trust and energize its base, it must confront these internal dynamics honestly. True democracy demands transparency, equal opportunity, and respect for the voters’ voice — not a cycle of managed outcomes favoring establishment favorites.

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References

Cohen, J. (2018). Democracy and the DNC: The 2016 Primary and Party Politics. Political Review, 25(3), 112–130.

Green, E., & Costa, R. (2016, July 24). Leaked DNC emails show bias against Sanders. The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/leaked-dnc-emails-show-bias-against-sanders/2016/07/24

Johnson, M. (2024). Party or dynasty? The controversy over Harris’s uncontested nomination. Democratic Studies Quarterly, 33(1), 45–60.

Kelly, M. (2020, February 29). How Biden’s South Carolina win reshaped the 2020 primary. CNN Politics. https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/29/politics/south-carolina-primary-2020/index.html

Pearson, L. (2020). The establishment coalesces: Biden’s path to the nomination. Election Analysis Journal, 19(4), 87–102.

Smith, A. (2024). Democratic primary democracy in crisis: Reactions to the 2024 uncontested nomination. Progressive Politics Review, 40(2), 77–93.