Ken Martin elected national chair of Democrats by Minnesota party leader

In Oxon Hill, Maryland, Democrats have chosen Ken Martin, the party leader from Minnesota, as their new national chair. He is a relatively unknown figure from the Midwest political scene but has been entrusted with the crucial task of leading the party’s opposition to Donald Trump’s presidency.

Ken Martin takes over the position from Jaime Harrison of South Carolina, who opted not to run for reelection after the 2024 election. During that election, Trump made history by being the first Republican in twenty years to secure the popular vote and also managed to make gains within key Democratic supporter groups such as African Americans, Latinos, and working-class voters.

“We got punched in the mouth in November,” Martin, 51, said Saturday. “It’s time to get off the mat, dust ourselves off and get back in this fight.”

He is now one of the most important players in the Democratic Party’s comeback attempt as Trump pushes the limits of presidential power.

The vote played out in suburban Washington as more than 400 DNC members from every state and U.S. territory gathered for the party’s winter meeting.

Both Ken Martin and the other strong candidate, Ben Wikler from Wisconsin, have pledged to shift the Democratic Party’s focus back to working-class voters, enhance the party’s organizational reach nationwide, and bolster their defenses against Trump’s initiatives through an improved rapid response system.

They pledged not to shy away from Democrats’ dedication to diversity and minority groups, a pillar of the modern-day party. Martin is the first white man to lead the DNC since 2011.

Also in the race were Martin O’Malley, a former Maryland governor and Biden administration official, and Faiz Shakir, who managed Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’ last presidential campaign.

Candidate Marianne Williamson, an activist and author, surprised DNC members before voting began by endorsing Martin as “our best chance to cut the cord with the billionaire funded corruption that will otherwise obstruct and limit our possibilities.”

Most of the candidates acknowledged that the Democratic brand is badly damaged, but few promised fundamental changes. Indeed, nearly three months after the election, there is little agreement on what exactly went wrong.

The election took place less than two weeks after Trump’s inauguration. Democrats are struggling to confront the sheer volume of executive orders, pardons, personnel changes and controversial relationships taking shape in the new administration.

Just 31% of voters have a favorable opinion of the Democratic Party, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released this week. Forty-three percent of voters have a favorable opinion of the Republican Party.

Shakir called for sweeping changes within the party, such as more coordination with labor unions and less focus on minority groups sorted by race and gender. The only Muslim seeking the chairmanship, Shakir was alone during a recent candidate forum in opposing the creation of a Muslim caucus at the DNC.

But his candidacy struggled to gain traction.

Wikler faced questions about his relationship with Democratic donor Reid Hoffman, the billionaire cofounder of LinkedIn. But he cast his fundraising connections as an asset. Indeed, the DNC chair is expected to raise tens of millions of dollars to help Democrats win elections.