Ken Martin elected new chair of Democratic National Committee
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The Minnesota Democratic–Farmer-Labor chair is set to lead a party that is still recovering from significant losses.
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DNC chair candidate Ken Martin speaks at the Democratic National Committee Winter Meeting at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland, on February 1, 2025. (AP)
Ken Martin, chair of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, emerged victorious in the competitive race to become the next chair of the Democratic National Committee on Saturday.
This appointment gives Martin a significant position to shape the messaging and direction of a party still grappling with its substantial losses in the November election and facing four more years under Donald Trump's leadership.
Martin secured a majority of support from the committee's voting members, who gathered in National Harbor, Maryland, on Saturday to elect several key leaders. He triumphed on the first ballot, receiving 246.5 out of 428 votes, while his closest rival, Ben Wikler, chair of the Wisconsin Democratic Party, garnered 134.5 votes.
During his victory speech, he thanked the DNC members "who have put their faith in my vision for our party."
“We’re going to get to work. We’re going to fight; we’re going to go out there and take this fight to Donald Trump and the Republicans, and we’re going to fight for working people again in this party.”
He also committed to uniting Democrats and integrating the best ideas from his rivals in the chair race to strengthen the party moving forward.
Martin said, “We’re going to bring them into this great party...We’re going to unify this party together, and we’re all going to roll up our sleeves together to build this party.”
Democratic Party faces polling setback
Late last month, the Democratic Party faced a stark reality as voter dissatisfaction reached its highest level since 2008, Newsweek reported on January 30, citing a new Quinnipiac poll.
Enthusiasm for the Democratic Party has steadily declined since the November election, as indicated by a YouGov tracker. As of January 27, 2025, the party’s unfavorability rating has hit its highest recorded level.
According to the Quinnipiac poll, only 31% of voters viewed the Democratic Party favorably, while 57% held an unfavorable opinion.
"This is the highest percentage of voters having an unfavorable opinion of the Democratic Party since the Quinnipiac University Poll began asking this question," the poll highlighted.
