5 Things to Know About Ken Martin, the DNC’s New Chair

Democratic National Committee members over the weekend elected Minnesota Democratic Chairman Ken Martin to succeed Jaime Harrison as the national party’s leader, elevating a longtime political operator with deep ties to Democratic state and local organizations.

Martin beat out five other candidates for the job, cruising to victory on the first ballot with strong support from state party chairs and vice chairs, who see the Minnesota Democrat as a key ally.

Here are five things to know about the new DNC chair:

He got his start in politics working for Paul Wellstone

Martin waded into the campaign world at just 17 years old when he joined the U.S. Senate campaign of the late Paul Wellstone, DFL-Minn., as an intern. 

At the time, few political insiders thought Wellstone, a political science professor with no previous experience in government, had a fighting chance of unseating incumbent Sen. Rudy Boschwitz, R-Minn. But Wellstone’s emphasis on grassroots organizing ultimately pulled him over the finish line, despite being outspent in the race 7-to-1.

Wellstone’s campaign proved formative for Martin, who has carved out a reputation as a grassroots juggernaut throughout his 14-year stint as the chairman of the Minnesota Democratic-Farm-Labor Party.

He’s credited with turning around the Minnesota DFL’s fortunes

When he took the helm of the Minnesota DFL in 2011, the party was roughly $750,000 in debt. More than a decade later, that’s no longer the case.

Democrats largely credit Martin with the party’s successes. Minnesota Democrats haven’t lost a single statewide race on his watch, and the DFL went into 2024 elections debt free and with a staggering, multimillion-dollar cash advantage over the Minnesota Republican Party. 

Of course, Democrats in Minnesota are still facing a difficult landscape. The party lost control of the state legislature in November, and former Vice President Kamala Harris underperformed former President Joe Biden’s 2020 numbers in the state, even with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate.

He’s a big advocate for state Democratic parties

Before he ever announced his bid to lead the DNC, Martin spent years cultivating relationships with state party chairs. 

In Martin, many party chairs see an ally and major advocate for delivering more national resources to state and local organizations, many of which still remember the Obama years, when money was pumped into Organizing for America instead of the party structure.

Martin’s support among party chairs and vice chairs paid off over the weekend when he was elected DNC chair on the first ballot, finishing more than 100 votes ahead of the second-place finisher, Wisconsin Democratic Party Chairman Ben Wikler. 

Wikler, an adept fundraiser whose party is used to running in one of the most competitive states in the country, was seen as the preferred choice of establishment Democrats and party donors, including LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman.

He’s more of a strategist than a pundit

In his new role at the DNC, Martin will become the face of a party juggling an effort to rebuild after a crushing 2024 election cycle with the need to maintain a strong offense against President Donald Trump and his party.

But Martin has also hinted that he would prefer Democratic elected officials at every level of government to take the lead when it comes to addressing the public, while he deals with the nuts and bolts of running the DNC. 

In a recent virtual forum hosted by the Democratic venture fund Higher Ground Labs, Martin said that he wanted to act more as a “CEO of Democratic tech and media enterprise,” and emphasized his past work building out Democrats’ tech operations, including the party’s data exchange.

“What most people don’t understand is getting the right message to the right spaces also involves doing the stuff that’s less sexy: building the tech infrastructure, ensuring we have a robust team of experts and qualified staff and strengthening the digital backbone of our party,” he said. “I’ve done that.”

But don’t expect him to stay quiet

While Martin may be seen as more of a tactician than a pundit, he has also telegraphed that he won’t treat Republicans with kid gloves. 

Speaking to reporters on Saturday after winning the election for DNC chair, Martin noted that, under his leadership, the party would be “taking the gloves off.”

“I’ve always viewed my role as a chair of the Democratic Party to take the low road, so my candidates and elected officials can take the high road,” he told reporters over the weekend. “I’m going to throw a punch.”