Democrats elect Ken Martin to chair Democratic National Committee

Ken Martin, the architect of Minnesota’s Democratic political machine, is the new chairman of the Democratic National Committee after winning the job on Saturday. 

Mr. Martin, the head of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, won on the first ballot with 246 votes out of 428 cast and is replacing Jamie Harrison, who has held the DNC post since 2021. 

Though relatively unknown on the national stage, Mr. Martin bested Wisconsin Democratic Chairman Ben Wikler, who sported high-profile endorsements from party heavyweights like House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, both of New York, and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California. Coming in third place was former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley. 

“We have one team. We have one fight. The fight is not in here,” Mr. Martin said during his victory speech at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in Maryland. “The fight right now is for working people. The fight is against Donald Trump and the billionaires who have bought this country.”

Electing Mr. Martin is the first step for Democrats looking to carve a new identity after losses in November left the party largely rudderless.

In running for the position, Mr. Martin touted the infrastructure he built in Minnesota that led to a slate of victories under his watch. He has a 25-0 record in statewide elections and hopes to bring his winning strategy to national Democrats. 

He will be charged with crafting a new message for Democrats heading into the 2026 midterm elections. Mr. Martin will have to work to attract voters who felt disenchanted with the party during the 2024 election cycle. 

Democrats’ messaging, particularly focused on abortion access and against what they called Mr. Trump’s threat to democracy, largely fell on deaf ears among voters and led to the party losing normally staunch supporters from almost every voting demographic.

“The thing is this, when the Trump agenda fails Americans, which it most certainly will and already has, we have to be there with a legitimate alternative to this chaos,” he said.