AUSTIN, Texas — Ken Martin struck a defiant pose at the Democratic National Committee’s summer meeting here this week, blowing past criticism of his tenure as he rallied DNC members still largely supportive of his leadership.
But privately, the DNC chair is signalling he’s open to a more conciliatory approach.
Martin has suggested in recent weeks that he is receptive to changes at the DNC, according to four people with knowledge of the situation, including potentially overhauling how the committee raises money and conducts day-to-day operations. The people each described Martin’s openness as a shift from his previous resistance, and an implicit acknowledgment that he needed to do something to quell the widespread criticism of his first year and a half in charge of the DNC.
“Ken understands he’s in trouble and he needs help,” said a prominent Democratic fundraiser, granted anonymity to speak candidly. “He’s asking for help, and I think that’s good, but I remain skeptical that he can turn it around.”
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A second person familiar with the situation said Martin is open to bringing on “more talent, people who have experience,” including more actively leaning on former DNC chairs and staff.
“That hasn’t happened over the last year, leaning on people who have done it before, and I think that’s changing,” the person added. Another person familiar with Martin’s thinking said he’s prioritizing efforts to boost fundraising capacity.
Some of those ideas have already floated through the Democratic ecosystem. In a call to DNC members earlier this month, first reported by NOTUS, Martin said he planned to convene a special finance committee to help refill the DNC’s bare coffers “with big name fundraisers” to bring “more financial fire power to the DNC,” according to one person on the call, while also acknowledging “to keep our momentum, we need more resources.” At the time, he didn’t give any more details, including who might help with the project.
When asked for comment, a DNC official referred to Martin’s remarks on the donor call.
A person with knowledge of the situation said Martin was open to a committee made up of prominent Democrats. The same person, though, said Martin was not interested in the DNC taking on a co-chair, a possibility The Bulwark reported earlier this month.
DNC members and operatives have suggested several people — including former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, former New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, who also ran for DNC chair — as potential candidates to help Martin and the DNC. Representatives for three of the Democrats declined to comment.
A spokesperson for McAuliffe emphasized that the former governor is not interested in an official position at the DNC but would be happy to help the party on a volunteer basis. McAuliffe is scheduled to speak to members here on Saturday.
“Some outside-the-box ideas are on the table,” the fundraiser said. “I know there’s an interest in putting together a brain trust of folks who can put together a plan, especially in the short term, to help them get what they need between now and the end of the year.”
Two of the people familiar with Martin’s shift said the changes could also affect personnel at the DNC, though they emphasize who the chair could bring on — or let go — remains murky. Any changes aren’t expected until after November’s midterm election.
The DNC, and Martin specifically, is under enormous pressure to recover from 18 months of bad press and poor fundraising. The Republican National Committee has built an enormous cash advantage over the DNC, which is sitting on $2 million in debts. The DNC put up its own headquarters as collateral for a loan it took out in 2025, as it has done in previous cycles. Martin also came under intense scrutiny over the committee’s incomplete 2024 election autopsy report.
Donna Brazile, who twice served as the DNC’s interim chair and recently penned an op-ed urging DNC members to move on from internal party drama, said Martin “is feeding the Democratic family,” while noting that it’s far more challenging to raise significant cash as the party out of power.
“Yes, everybody wants more, everyone wants a second helping, but when you’re able to serve the main course and a little bit more, you can’t focus on the dessert,” Brazile said. “Is he doing what it takes to win in November? The answer is yes.”
But even as Martin quietly signals he’s amenable to changes, he has remained publicly defiant as he conducted party business here — and adamant that he’s not planning to step aside anytime soon.
Martin spent much of Thursday rallying DNC members to support a new early state calendar for the 2028 presidential primary, urging them to put aside negative chatter and focus on the party’s principles and recent electoral successes.
“You see there are all these stories about Democrats in disarray and Ken Martin this, Ken Martin that, and all that bullshit they want to focus on,” Martin said Thursday at a DNC Labor Council meeting. “You know who isn’t focused on that? Me. And you shouldn’t be either.”
Martin on Wednesday reaffirmed during a meeting of the Association of State Democratic Committees that he had no plans to leave his post, according to a person in the room.
For all the criticism, Martin remains popular among many DNC members. At a Resolutions Committee meeting Thursday, one DNC member from Tennessee, William Owen, spoke out forcefully in the chair’s defense as he introduced a resolution meant to refocus attention on what he said was the committee’s good work.
“Are you tired of hearing everyone criticize us for not working? I think all of us are working as hard as we can to elect Democrats,” Owen said. “And this goes especially to our friends at ‘Morning Joe’ and Joe Scarborough. I’m tired of him ragging on our chair, Ken Martin. Ken Martin’s a passionate guy.”
Owen compared Martin to Mike Bobo, a quarterback for the University of Georgia’s football team in the 1990s who he said was often mocked for a lack of physical talent even as he won game after game.
“Well, that’s what our chair Ken Martin is doing,” he said. “And what the Democratic National Committee is doing.”
In an interview after his remarks, Owen praised Martin for raising more money than past DNC chairs and using the cash to fund state parties, which Martin has prioritized.
“What good is money?” Owen said. “Money is only used as a conveyance to vote. Just having a big bank account doesn’t get any votes. It’s spending it.”
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