Minnesota DFL leader Ken Martin announced his campaign in November to lead the Democratic National Convention (DNC) with plans to refocus on the party’s messaging as a way forward after Democrats’ presidential election failures.
Martin said on Nov. 19 that he planned to run for the chair of the DNC, a position that helps coordinate candidates and the Democratic Party’s image.
“As Democrats, our end goal is improving people’s lives, making good public policy, and making sure our government gives a damn about people,” Martin said in a post on X. “But we can’t do any of that unless we build a foundation to win at all levels. I’ll do just that as your DNC Chair.”
Other candidates for the position include former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel and Chairman of the Wisconsin Democratic Party Ben Wikler.
University of Minnesota political science professor Steve Kelley said Martin has a good chance due to his prior leadership experience in the Minnesota DFL party and in the DNC as vice-chair.
“He’s been a solid administrator for the party and certainly during this time period when there isn’t an elected official at the national level who’s seen as the leader of the party,” Kelley said. “The role of DNC chair is especially important for communicating the party’s message.”
Martin has been the chairman of the Minnesota DFL Party since 2011 and started his political career when he joined Paul Wellstone’s U.S. Senate campaign in 1990. The Democratic Party has won every statewide election since Martin was elected into office, including two trifectas.
However, ensuring unity within the Democratic Party on the national level may be a challenge for Martin, Kelley said. He added that Martin helped facilitate a strong party statewide, but the main challenge will be getting his message across to southern states.
“It’ll be a challenge for him, and I assume part of his messaging in the campaign is his ability to bring the party back together after a very difficult loss to communicate the benefits that Democrats in the U.S. Senate and Democrats in the U.S. House would provide for Americans,” Kelley said.
As Martin ramps up his campaign, he said one priority of his is “rebranding” the Democratic Party for the working class and uniting the party nationally.
“We’ve always stood up for the working class. We’ve always stood up for the poor. We’ve always stood up for the marginalized,” Martin said in a post on X. “That’s who we are as Democrats — and it’s what we must continue to do.”
Kelley said Martin does not necessarily have to rebrand the Democratic Party to voters. Instead, he will have to focus on reshaping the messaging after losing the general elections to Republicans.
“I personally don’t buy into the view that the Democrats have to rebrand because I think we have been adopting policies that are beneficial to working people,” Kelley said.
Current DNC Chair Jaime Harrison said in a press release that the Committee is determined to run transparent and fair party leadership elections, especially during President-elect Donald Trump’s second administration.
“As my time as Chair comes to a close and we prepare to undertake the critical work of holding the Trump Administration and Republican Party accountable for their extremism and false promises, we are beginning to lay out the process for upcoming DNC officer elections in the New Year,” Harrison said in the press release. “The DNC is committed to running a transparent, equitable, and impartial election for the next generation of leadership to guide the party forward.”
Over four meetings, candidates will make their case to the 448 members of the DNC who will later vote for their picks in January 2025. Before voting, candidates must have at least 40 DNC supporters for their nomination statement. Martin has 83 supporters, according to ABC News.
Kelly added that if successful, Martin’s first priority will be tackling a second Trump administration.
“He’ll need to be responsive to any errors or negative things that occur during the second Trump administration,” Kelley said. “Where he could, as the DNC chair, draw attention to how the Democrats might have done it differently.”
