The Democratic National Committee elected Ken Martin as its chair on Saturday afternoon, as the party looks to new leadership to help steer it through President Donald Trump’s second term in office.
He will replace outgoing chair Jamie Harrison.
Martin, who was Minnesota party chair and DNC vice chair, was considered a leading candidate alongside Wisconsin Democratic Party chair Ben Wikler and former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley. Other candidates, like Bernie Sanders’ former presidential campaign chief Faiz Shakir and self-help author Marianne Williamson — who ultimately endorsed Martin in her nominating speech Saturday — were considered long-shots for the position.
Martin easily beat his opponents Saturday, receiving 246.5 votes on the first round of voting. Wikler, who was backed by Democratic heavyweights like Sen. Chuck Schumer and Reps. Nancy Pelosi and Hakeem Jeffries, scored 134.5 votes. O’Malley had 44.
Martin had pitched himself as a candidate who’d be willing to get his hands dirty to stand up to Trump, as well as someone who could put the party on the right track to win over voters.
“My job is to get out there and define the Republicans,” he said during the campaign. “We will go on offense against Donald Trump.”
The election comes as Democrats are grappling with the frenzied first weeks of Trump’s second term after a bruising election in November that saw Republicans sweep both chambers of Congress and the White House.
The role of DNC chair will largely revolve around fundraising and deciding where and how to allocate political donations. Martin will also be tasked with helping to shape the party’s messaging and strategy, a crucial role as Democrats seek to broaden their appeal among the working class and those who are less politically engaged, with whom they performed poorly in the 2024 election.