Ken Martin was elected to be the next chair of the Democratic National Committee on Saturday, becoming one of the party’s most forefront leaders in a moment of existential crisis.
His victory flies in the face of the endorsements of many high-profile Democrats, including party leaders Hakeem Jeffries, Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi, who threw their weight behind Wisconsin state party Chair Ben Wikler.
Martin won over 246 votes out of 428 voting members after one round of voting. The vote was held at the DNC’s winter meeting, which took place at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in Maryland.
“We have one team. We have one fight. The fight is not in here,” Martin told the audience in his victory speech. “The fight right now is for working people. The fight is against Donald Trump and the billionaires who have bought this country.”
Martin’s victory comes at a unique moment in the party. Democrats lack a clear figurehead — a reality that was apparent at the event, per Semafor’s David Weigel, who noted there was little Joe Biden or Kamala Harris representation at the meeting.
Democrats largely agree that Martin may be able to create lasting change in the DNC without the influence of the White House or a named future leader of the party.
But that’s still no easy task.
Martin will have to tackle the multiple lingering labor violation complaints from current and former staff. Those still in the building are bitter about recent layoffs, bungled severance packages and nondisclosure agreements after the 2024 election, as NOTUS reported this week.
DNC members are also calling for major reforms to the campaign operation, with budget transparency and fairness in at-large delegate selections at the top of the list.
Martin, who has chaired the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party since 2011, previously served as the president the Association of State Democratic Committees. The organization, which has had an influential voice in the DNC, helped him garner the support of many voting members. His candidacy gained momentum until the final minutes before the vote when two candidates dropped out of the running and endorsed him.
Though the group of state party chairs did not endorse a candidate for the race — particularly as the other front-runner was Wikler, the chair of the Wisconsin Democratic Party — Martin had the support of vice presidential candidate Gov. Tim Walz, a longtime ally of Martin’s.
Perhaps more challenging, Martin will be tasked with rebuilding the broken base of the Democratic Party, which took deep losses in key battlegrounds in this past cycle. And if contending with the disillusioned party base isn’t enough, Martin will have to figure out how to do it all under the context of Trump’s administration.
Despite not winning their endorsements, Ohio Rep. Joyce Beatty told NOTUS ahead of elections that congressional Democratic leaders will work closely with the chair.
“The DNC chair, Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer are the voice of the party and they have to work together,” Beatty said. “We’re developing all the policies and the laws in Congress, and the DNC is going to be responsible for raising money.”
—
Calen Razor is a NOTUS reporter and an Allbritton Journalism Institute fellow.
Correction: This article has been updated to accurately reflect Ken Martin’s tenure at the Association of State Democratic Committees. A previous version reflected an error on the DNC’s website.