Ken Martin, the longtime leader of Minnesota’s Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, has been elected as the new chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) on Saturday, taking over from Jaime Harrison.
The leadership change comes as Democrats seek to recover from their 2024 election defeat, where Donald Trump won the popular vote and made gains among key Democratic voter blocs.
Martin secured victory in the first round of voting, defeating Wisconsin Democratic Party Chair Ben Wikler, former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley, and Faiz Shakir, the former campaign manager for Sen. Bernie Sanders.
According to CBS News, Martin won with 246.5 votes, while Wikler garnered 134.5, O’Malley 44, and Shakir 2.
Following his victory, Martin promised a stronger Democratic resistance against Trump, vowing to “take the gloves off” and focus on winning back working-class voters, strengthening party infrastructure, and enhancing the party’s anti-Trump rapid response system, reported AP.
“The fight is for our values. The fight is for working people. The fight right now is against Donald Trump and the billionaires who bought this country,” Martin declared in his victory speech, according to CBS News.
His leadership comes at a critical moment as Democrats struggle with historically low approval ratings—just 31% of voters view the party favourably, compared to 43% for Republicans, per a Quinnipiac University poll.
Despite his win, some Democrats expressed concerns. Jeanna Repass, the Kansas Democratic chair, described Martin as “a workhorse” rather than “a champion”, saying the party lacks a powerful voice to counter Trump, according to AP.
Martin now faces the challenge of uniting a divided party and developing a new strategy ahead of the 2026 midterms and 2028 presidential election.
