I agree and know this, it's more about how they are making promises they cannot keep. If Democrats ever get a majority in Congress again, and don't do it, however...
On the other hand (and granted that the death penalty is a barbaric atrocity) I'm inclined to prefer the US federal government focus most of its reform efforts (even those contained to the justice system) on issues whose death rates average more than 0.25 people/year[1].
[0] https://pressley.house.gov/2023/07/13/pressley-durbin-reintr...
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_executed_by_the...