Minnesota’s Ken Martin Elected DNC Chair, Vows to Fight Trump, GOP Agenda

Martin pledged to prioritize working-class voters, bolster Democratic infrastructure, unify the party, and oppose Trump and his agenda.

DNC chair candidate Ken Martin speaks at the Democratic National Committee Winter Meeting in National Harbor, Md., on Feb. 1, 2025. AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.

Ken Martin, the longtime leader of Minnesota’s Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL), was elected chairman of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) on Feb. 1, as the party turns to a seasoned but low-profile Midwestern strategist to spearhead its recovery from the bruising election loss of November 2024.

“We got punched in the mouth in November,” Martin said as hundreds of DNC members gathered in suburban Washington on Feb. 1 to pick their new leader. “It’s time to get off the mat, dust ourselves off, and get back in this fight.”