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TIME Politics 2014 Election Now Its Democrats Turn for a Post-Election Autopsy US Sen. Mitch McConnell, Republican from Kentucky, waves to supporters with his wife Elaine Chao during his victory celebration at the Marriott East Hotel in Louisville, Ky. on Nov. 4, 2014. Mark LyonsEPA Similar effort to Republicans' post-election autopsy in 2013

A month after its midterm election drubbing, the Democratic National Committee has selected a panel of party leaders, allies, and operatives to examine where it went wrong in 2014.

DNC Chair Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz announced the formation of the Democratic Victory Task Force Thursday to conduct a review of Democratic Party and allied organizations operations in the 2014 cycle, when Democrats lost control of the Senate and saw defeats in House, gubernatorial and state legislative races across the country.

The committee is made up of Democratic fundraiser Naomi Aberly, Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear, DNC Vice-Chair Donna Brazile, political operative Maria Cardona, party lawyer Marc Elias, former Obama digital guru Teddy Goff, marketing and event planning veteran Maneesh Goyal, Colorado Democratic Party Chair Rick Palacio, AFSCME President Lee Saunders and Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt.

Democrats maintain a structural advantage in presidential cycles, when a larger and more diverse electorate goes to the polls, but they have suffered in two consecutive midterm years from lower, less diverse turnout, as well as frustration with President Barack Obama. The committee will review areas where the party needs to improve both its midterm election operations, as well as areas where it must act to gear up for the 2016 presidential campaign.

We are proud to announce the members of the Democratic Victory Task Force, and are eager to work with them to build on what weve done that works, identify and prioritize challenges and ultimately improve our partys performance in future elections, Wasserman Schultz said in a statement. This diverse group of Democratic Party officials, strategists and advocates will each bring with them expertise from their fields to collaborate on a holistic review of the Partys past performance and present actionable areas for improvement moving forward.

The panel follows a similar effort by the Republican National Committee after its 2012 defeat. The Growth and Opportunity Project recommended operational and policy changes to the Republican Party when it released its report in early 2013.

Wasserman Schultz said the group will report its initial findings at the DNCs winter meeting in February 2015 and make final recommendations by mid-2015.

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Now Its Democrats Turn for a Post-Election Autopsy

White House to Democrats: Well seek extension to Iran nuclear talks
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Southern Democrats who lost key races this election cycle

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

New Orleans (CNN) -- The 2014 elections seemed like the final reckoning for Southern Democrats, the culmination of a political metamorphosis that began in the Civil Rights era and concluded under the nation's first black President.

Wiped out in governors' races, clobbered in Senate contests, irrelevant in many House districts and boxed out of state legislatures, Democrats in the South today look like a rump party consigned to a lifetime of indignity.

"I can't remember it being any gloomier for Democrats in the South than it is today," said Curtis Wilkie, the longtime journalist and observer of Southern life who lectures at the University of Mississippi. "The party has been demonized by Republicans. It's very bleak. I just don't see anything good for them on the horizon."

Democrats are looking everywhere for solutions to their Southern problem. They hope population changes will make states such as Georgia and North Carolina more hospitable. They want more financial help from the national party. Some are even clinging to the dim hope that Hillary Clinton might help make inroads with white working class voters in Arkansas in 2016.

Success here is crucial for the party. There's virtually no way for Democrats to win back a majority in the Senate -- much less the House -- without finding a way to compete more effectively in the South. But the truth is there are no easy answers for a party so deep in the hole.

White voters have abandoned Democrats for decades, and the flight has only hastened under President Barack Obama. The migration has created a troublesome math problem: Democrats across the region now depend on African-American voters and not much else.

It's a disastrous formula in low-turnout midterms dominated by white voters. In Louisiana, Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu won only 18% of white voters on Election Day. She won't do much better in what's expected to be another knife-twisting loss for Democrats in the state's runoff election here on Saturday. If she loses, there won't be a single Democratic senator or governor anywhere south of Virginia.

READ: Landrieu, Cassidy spar in final Senate debate

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Dreary days for Southern Democrats

TALLAHASSEE Florida Democrats held a conference call Tuesday to try to find the sunny side of an election drubbing that saw the defeat of many of the partys rising stars.

U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson blamed the U.S. Supreme Courts Citizens United decision that allowed unlimited corporate and union money to start flowing into elections as one potential cause.

But he shrugged off questions from reporters about whether the party was broadly disconnected from the sensibilities of voters. He also said the partys stock of potential candidates for higher office was still solid.

Look at the horses that we have in the stable, Nelson, an Orlando Democrat, said, referencing Democratic National Committee Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz, U.S. Reps. Lois Frankel and Patrick Murphy, and newly elected Gwen Graham, the daughter of the former governor who defeated incumbent Republican Steve Sutherland for a Panhandle-based congressional seat.

He also mentioned one particular defeat state Rep. Karen Castor Dentel, D-Maitland, who lost to Republican Bob Cortes because, he said, she was overwhelmed by spending from the other side.

While the federal campaign-contribution limit ruling doesnt directly impact state races, Nelson said the flood of corporate and interest-group cash into elections now was more of a problem for Democrats than ever before.

That is a major handicap that we see at this point, and that's going to have to be faced straight on, Nelson said.

Another potential future candidate on the call, former Orlando police chief and congressional candidate Val Demings, said Florida Democrats needed to conduct a systemic review of their operations.

If we are serious about winning races up and down the ballot, we do have to look at everything staffing, funding, communications plans, Demings said. We've got to look at communication with our local officials.

The lament is nothing new for the party now out of power in Tallahassee for 16 years. For the most part, Democrats have been self-reflecting on the decision justified or not -- to place such an emphasis on winning back the governors office with a flawed, former Republican candidate in Charlie Crist.

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After electoral benching, Florida Democrats say their own is just fine

By Humberto Sanchez Posted at 11 a.m. today

Senate Democrats will meet Wednesday to start plotting a path back to the majority. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)

Senate Democrats will hold their first strategy session on taking back the majority Wednesday afternoon, according to a senior Senate Democratic aide.

The informal session will be led by Sen. Charles E. Schumer of New York, who is chairman of the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee, and Sen. Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, who is DPCC vice chairman.

The meeting will be the first since last months elections, and will kick off a series of discussions that will include a full caucus retreat early next year.

Senate Democrats feel optimistic about the opportunities to pick up seats after this years election given the map in 2016, but know that the caucus needs to be focused and clear-eyed about putting forth an agenda that resonates with the middle class, the aide said.

Democrats hold just 10 seats up in 2016, while Republicans will be defending 24 seats.

The aide described the meeting as a big picture discussion, with policy goals to be fleshed out later.

Democrats are not expected to decide specific policies that they will push in response to the Republicans in the meeting, but rather begin to discuss broader themes that will guide their agenda and messaging in the coming years, the aide said.

The meeting comes after Democrats have been feuding among one another following the election losses. In the next Congress, Republicans will have a 53-46 majority in the chamber, having added seven seats, excluding the Louisiana Senate race, which will be decided by a Saturday runoff.

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Senate Democrats Begin Planning Road Back to Majority