Democrats have elected Ken Martin as the new leader of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) as the party attempts to rebuild after Donald Trump’s landslide presidential election victory.
Martin, 51, the chair of Minnesota’s arm of the DNC, won the first round of voting on Saturday following a hotly contested race where he was seen by many as an underdog candidate.
He won the race with 246.5 votes, over 134.5 votes for establishment favorite Ben Wilker, 44 votes for former presidential candidate Martin O’Malley, and two votes for Fair Shakir, former presidential campaign manager for Sen. Bernie Sanders in 2020.
Wilker fell short despite endorsements from Democrat heavyweights including House leader Hakeem Jeffries, Senate leader Chuck Schumer and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
In his victory speech, Martin declared: ‘The fight’s not in here. 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.’
The race to replace outgoing DNC Chair Jamie Harrison centered on how the Democrats should respond to November’s electoral drubbing, where Republicans won all seven swing states and control of both chambers of Congress.
Martin’s role will see him working mostly behind-the-scenes in preparing for the 2026 midterms and the 2028 presidential election, primarily through fundraising and organizing the party’s platform.
However, DNC chairs often do not become leading national figures, and the Democrats are left searching for new leaders, with Kamala Harris losing the election comfortably while Barack Obama has been seen by some as losing his kingmaker image.
Democrats have elected Ken Martin (pictured) as the new leader of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) as the party attempts to rebuild after Donald Trump’s landslide presidential election victory
Martin embraces outgoing DNC Chair Jamie Harrison (left) following his election on Saturday
With his election as DNC Chair on Saturday, Martin becomes the first white male in the job since Virginia Senator Tim Kaine left the position in 2011.
Martin’s victory comes months after he raised eyebrows with an appearance on CNN following Trump’s election win, where he slammed his own party.
Serving as the vice-chair of the DNC at the time, Martin declared that Republicans are now seen as the party that best represents the working-class.
Martin pointed to issues within the progressive wing of the Democratic Party, with in-fighting over controversial policies such as President Biden’s funding of Israel’s war in Gaza seen by some observers as undermining the party in the election.
He told CNN’s Jake Tapper in his election post-mortem: ‘For the first time, the majority of Americans believe that the Republican Party best represents the interests of the working class and the poor.
‘And the Democratic Party represents the interests of the wealthy and the elite.
‘That is a damning indictment on our party brand,’ he continued. ‘And that’s something we have to figure out as we move forward.’
‘How we actually reconnect our very popular policy ideas which are passing in ballot initiatives throughout this country back to our party and candidates,’ he pondered, before ultimately concluding, ‘Because that’s not happening.
‘We gave to do a better job there.’
Martin beat out Ben Wikler (pictured), chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, despite Wilker gaining endorsements from several Democrat heavyweights in the race
Martin seen with former Vice President Kamala Harris and her 2024 running mate Tim Walz, the governor of Minnesota
Martin’s election to lead the Democrats in the coming years comes as the party looks ahead to the 2028 race.
In a poll held this week, the party’s losing candidate Kamala Harris retained support among voters with 33 percent, overwhelmingly the number one choice.
Shockingly, ESPN star Stephen A. Smith received more support than several big-name potential candidates, if the 2028 primary were held today.
The sports broadcaster has previously teased a possible run for president and his recent comments on the 2024 election have gone viral.
Smith shocked Bill Maher’s audience with his blunt verdict on why Donald Trump won a second term in the White House – and why he feels like a ‘damn fool’ for supporting Kamala Harris.
Two percent said they would choose ESPN star Smith. That is more than the likes of Beto O’Rourke – who ran for the nomination in 2020 – and JB Pritzker, the governor of Illinois (both one percent).
Remarkably, Smith also polled only one percentage point behind Tim Walz – Harris’ vice-presidential pick – and Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro.
