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Ken Martin, a well-connected state party chair, took over the Democratic National Committee as the party searches for ways to win back power.
- Feb. 1, 2025Updated 5:25 p.m. ET
The Democratic National Committee on Saturday elected Ken Martin as its chairman, tapping a low-profile political insider from Minnesota to guide the party forward after its crushing defeats last fall.
Mr. Martin, 51, triumphed in a 75-day contest that turned less on why Democrats lost to President Trump for a second time than on internal relationships and mechanics in the 448-member Democratic National Committee.
The committee raises tens of millions of dollars every year and can help set the tone of the party. It provides infrastructure and financial support for down-ballot candidates in off years before building an operation for a presidential nominee.
Mr. Martin captured the chairmanship on the strength of his yearslong relationships with party members, whose affection he won by promising to focus more on their concerns than past leaders have.
In his victory speech, Mr. Martin touched on a theme that Democrats hit throughout the weekend — that Mr. Trump was aligned with his billionaire supporters rather than with the American people.
“Are we on the side of the robber baron, the ultrawealthy billionaire, the oil and gas polluter, the union buster?” Mr. Martin asked. “Or are we on the side of the American working family, the small-business owner, the farmer, the immigrant and the students?”
