Minnesota’s Ken Martin Elected DNC Chair, Vows to Fight Trump, GOP Agenda

DNC chair candidate Ken Martin speaks at the Democratic National Committee Winter Meeting in National Harbor, Md., on Feb. 1, 2025. AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.

Ken Martin, the longtime leader of Minnesota’s Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL), was elected chairman of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) on Saturday, as the party turns to a seasoned but low-profile Midwestern strategist to spearhead its recovery from November’s bruising election loss.

“We got punched in the mouth in November,” Martin said as hundreds of DNC members gathered in suburban Washington on Feb. 1 to pick their new leader. “It’s time to get off the mat, dust ourselves off, and get back in this fight.”

Martin, who has served as DNC vice chair, clinched the chairmanship on the first ballot, earning 246 votes to surpass Wisconsin’s Ben Wikler in a 428-vote contest.

“Democrats, thank you for putting your trust in me,” Martin said in a statement following the vote. “It’s the honor of my life to serve as your next DNC Chair. Now we’re going to pull ourselves together, work as one, and fight for the American people.”

Wikler was defeated despite several high-profile endorsements, including from a machinists union and Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), who described Wikler as an inspiring and passionate visionary.

With his victory, Martin replaces Jaime Harrison of South Carolina, who opted not to seek another term at the helm of the DNC after President Donald Trump’s decisive victory in the presidential election. Harrison took to social media to congratulate Martin on the win.

“For 14 years @kenmartin73 has been my friend,” Harrison wrote in a post on social media platform X. “We have crisscrossed this country on buses, in vans, and cars working to get Democrats elected. Today, it is great to say that Ken is not only my friend but he is now my Chairman!”

In his victory speech, Martin pledged to prioritize working-class voters, bolster Democratic infrastructure, unify the party, and oppose Trump and his agenda.

“We need to go on offense,” Martin said. “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.”

Martin’s win in the DNC leadership contest means his term as head of the Minnesota DFL will come to an end.

“We could not be more proud! Ken will be leaving the DFL with an undefeated statewide victory record, and Minnesota is better for it,” Minnesota DFL wrote in a post on X. “Take it from us—there is no one better to rally our party and lead us to victory in the fights ahead.”

Also in the race were former Maryland governor Martin O’Malley and Faiz Shakir, Bernie Sanders’s former campaign manager. Most candidates acknowledged the Democratic brand was struggling but offered few structural reforms.

Nearly three months after the election, the party remains divided on what went wrong. A Quinnipiac poll this week found 31 percent of voters viewed Democrats favorably, compared to 43 percent for Republicans.

A number of key Trump allies—including Elon Musk, Tulsi Gabbard, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.—were once either registered Democrats or voted for the party’s candidates in elections but have since shifted their allegiance, aligning with Trump’s vision for America.