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After an internal party election, Minnesota Democratic stalwart Ken Martin is taking the helm of the national party and charting a new path forward following last year’s bruising election defeat.

Martin’s election over the weekend as national Democratic Party chair is the party’s first big move in the second Donald Trump presidency. 

But Martin’s elevation also leaves a bit of a void back home. The Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party will have to pick its first new leader in 14 years. That comes as a chock-full ballot awaits in 2026: It features contests for U.S. senator, governor, attorney general and control of both chambers of the Legislature.

Martin beat Wisconsin Democratic Party Chair Ben Wikler, former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley and several others in an eight-person race on Saturday. Martin emerged victorious on the first ballot and quickly urged Democrats to unite.

“The fight is out there, right? The fight is not in here. The fight is for our values. The fight is for working people,” he said to a boisterous room. “The fight right now is against Donald Trump and the billionaires who bought this country.”

As Democratic Party chair, Martin will have to figure out the recipe for combatting Trump. He said he’s ready to adopt a tougher tack immediately.

“We’re 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, meaning I'm going to throw a punch,” Martin said. “So Donald Trump, Republican Party, this is a new DNC. We are not going to sit back and not take you on when you fail the American people.”

Martin said the party will build a war room to respond to mis- and disinformation. Within hours, the new arm of the party was already churning out emails responding to news that Trump announced new tariffs on goods from Canada and Mexico.

U.S. Rep. Glenn Ivey welcomed DNC members to his state on Saturday morning and said congressional Democrats would welcome more pushback on the Trump administration.

“You got here just in time, because it's crazy on Capitol Hill right now,” Ivey told the hundreds of Democrats in attendance. “We need you. We need the reinforcements. We need the fight.”

Martin said the party would also launch a review to understand how and why Democrats came up short in 2024.

“We know that we lost ground with Latino voters. We know we lost ground with women and younger voters, and, of course, working class households,” he said. “We don't know the how and why at this moment, and that's what I need to get my hands around before we can be proscriptive on a plan and a solution.”

Those answers will be key because Democrats are already preparing for midterm elections in 2026 and the next presidential contest in 2028.

The Republican State Leadership Committee responded to Martin’s win noting that Martin was at the helm of the DFL when Republicans ended a Democratic hold on both chambers of the Legislature last year.

“Minnesota has become a haven of high taxes and violent crime, and now Democrats are giving him a promotion; clearly, they have not learned their lesson,” the group 

Closer to home, there was grudging admiration for Martin as he prepared to move on and force a fresh start. 

 noted that Martin had a strong streak during his 14 years – the party won 25 statewide races and lost none – and suggested a replacement might not have that same run of success.

New Minnesota Republican Party Chair Alex Plechash 

 that GOP candidates have been lining up behind the scenes to run for governor and were feeling bullish after making inroads in 2024.

“I think we have a deep bench in Minnesota, the few that I’m aware of are outstanding candidates,” he said.

Plechash also noted that after Gov. Tim Walz’s unsuccessful bid for vice president, Republicans are eager to see the governor run for a third term.

“Tim Walz has kind of shown himself to not only to our state but to our country in the weak candidate, the weak governor that we actually have had,” Plechash said. “We actually hope he runs again.”

Following Martin’s win, Walz’s deputy chief of staff Richard Carlbom launched a bid to run the party, and Ron Harris, the former state campaign director for Kamala Harris, said he is weighing one too. Others may throw their hats in soon. 

The DFL Party plans to pick its next chair on March 29.

Dana Ferguson

Author

Democrats from around the country picked Martin to lead them forward over the weekend. Minnesota Democrats will have a similar discussion next month.

As Ken Martin takes helm of Democratic National Committee, DFL faces opening at the top

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