Ken Martin is avoiding media appearances as calls for his resignation grow louder inside the Democratic National Committee. He is also monitoring critics’ social media posts and has so far refused to make substantive changes at the committee.
The pressure lands as the DNC tries to build the party’s national infrastructure, including fundraising, before the midterm elections in November. A half dozen state leaders and other committee members described Martin as defensive and extremely distrustful of others.
Shad Murib on Ken Martin
Colorado Democratic Party Chair Shad Murib said he saw no movement from the DNC to make a change. “I sense no movement from the DNC to make a change, and so that decision’s up to Ken. And he’s told me he’s in it, so I trust him on making that decision,” Murib said.
Murib also said, “What we’re seeing right now is a whole group of folks who live on Twitter and consultants fighting harder against Ken Martin than they’ve ever fought against Donald Trump.” Some Democratic operatives are criticizing Martin’s leadership decisions, lackluster fundraising, and tendency to lash out in anger.
Ken Martin in Washington
Martin did not grant an interview request. In a recent Substack post, he said, “If the question is whether the Democratic Party will be ready to win — everywhere, at every level, in this election and for the decade ahead — the answer is a resounding yes.”
That message clashes with the current mood around him, where a small group of state leaders and committee members describe a leader who is hunkering down rather than opening up. The immediate test is whether the DNC membership keeps him in place through November or decides it needs a change before then.
