Democrats elect Ken Martin, the party leader in Minnesota, as national chair
- Share via
OXON HILL, Md. — Democrats on Saturday elected Ken Martin, the party leader in Minnesota, as the national chair, turning to a low-profile Midwestern political operative to coordinate their resistance to Donald Trump’s presidency.
Martin succeeds Jaime Harrison of South Carolina atop the Democratic National Committee. Harrison did not seek another term after the 2024 election when Trump became the first Republican to win the popular vote in two decades and made modest gains with core Democratic constituencies — African Americans, Latinos and working-class voters, among them.
“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.
Trump is likely to succeed in expanding presidential powers on some fronts because the Constitution generally puts vast power in the hands of the president.
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.
Martin and the other leading contender, Wisconsin party chair Ben Wikler, promised to refocus the Democratic message on working-class voters, strengthen Democratic infrastructure across the country and improve the party’s anti-Trump 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.
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.
Peoples writes for the Associated Press.
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
