Who's Ken Martin? Supporters say the Minnesota Democrat and would-be DNC chair is ready for battle

The chairman of Minnesota's Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, Ken Martin, has emerged as a favorite in the race for chair of the Democratic National Committee on a platform of expanding Democrats' operations in every state and territory, contesting every election and year-round campaigning. Some of Martin's supporters, including current and former candidates for chair, describe Martin as well-positioned to bridge the ideological divide in the Democratic Party while competently wielding and building party infrastructure. 

Early in the race, Martin, the president of the Association of State Democratic Chairs, boasted the endorsements of well over 100 party insiders. More recently, CBS News reported that he enjoys the endorsements of some 51 state party chairs or co-chairs, including 20 whose endorsements were not previously public. 

"This is an opportunity to really reimagine the DNC and for me, that means really getting the DNC out of D.C.," Martin recently told Democracy Docket. "One of the shortcomings I believe of our national party committees is that they focus almost exclusively on just one election cycle with no longer term arc to their work. The DNC focus is primarily just on federal races, and while we have to win federal races for sure we also cannot ignore down-ballot races, state legislative bodies, local government races, frankly, where we're seeing a lot of disastrous public policy being passed in this country."

In addition to his support from party leaders, Martin has also garnered endorsements from two former candidates for DNC chair, including New York State Senator James Skoufis, who dropped out of the race and endorsed Martin earlier this month, and the president of the Arab American Institute, James Zogby.

Zogby told Salon that he's supporting Martin because of his vision for revitalizing party infrastructure and standing up a Democratic Party with the capacity to fight Republicans across the country. 

“I think it is an ideological battle and it’s also a battle of party infrastructure and whether we have a party,” Zogby said. “He is a well-stoned Democrat. When I hear him give a stump speech, it’s music to my ears.”

Martin’s DNC platform promises to contest every race, from the White House to local school board elections, and expand party infrastructure in all 50 states and seven territories. Specifically, he promises to have a Democratic Party presence in all 3,244 counties of the United States.

Zogby, who is a longtime DNC member himself, described himself as one one-time “Jesse Jackson Democrat” who now considers himself more of a “Bernie Sanders Democrat.” When asked about whether he trusts Martin to support a progressive agenda, Zogby said that the “DNC chair doesn’t set the agenda” but that he does trust Martin to support a progressive vision for the party.

“When I think of progressive, I mean: focuses on the economic concerns that are lifting everybody up — from concerns about healthcare to the minimum wage, public education and support for unions,” Zogby said.

Zogby, a vocal opponent of Israel’s war on Gaza, is not the only advocate for Palestine that is supporting Martin. Dan Engelhart, a DNC delegate for the Uncommitted Movement in the 2024 primary, has thrown in with Martin, telling NPR that he "was certainly fair to us as the uncommitted delegation,” even when much of the Democratic establishment snubbed the movement.

“We were treated fairly, and that's what really matters, given the general mindset towards the uncommitted delegation at the DNC,” Engelhart told NPR.

Skoufis, the New York senator who endorsed Martin after dropping his own bid for chair, told Salon that he sees him as the best choice for the job in part because he effectively involves the party’s members in the decision-making process and makes them feel heard.

“Not every member is going to win every time, but every faction is going to be seen and heard every time,” Skoufis told Salon. “I think that’s why you see frustration bubble over because people are blocked out of the decision-making process. If everyone has a seat at the table and everyone is meaningfully seen and heard, there’s buy in and that’s what Ken is hoping to do as chair.”

In addition, "I have not gotten a single whiff that he is interested in advancing an ideological angle as DNC chair," Skoufis said. "He is exclusively interested in building our coalition," he continued, and “the antithesis of an insider.”

“An insider would be keeping to his ivory tower and telling other people what they should be doing. Ken Martin is in the trenches with rank-and-file members and average Democrats,” Skoufis said.

Ron Latz, a Minnesota state senator, told Salon that he had seen an increase in the Democratic Party’s presence in the state over Martin’s tenure.

“For one, Ken has been very successful in raising money, which enables the presence all across the state of the party structure. In campaign seasons they have opened quite a few physical locations across the state,” Latz said. “He has not isolated himself in Saint Paul.”

Latz agreed with Skoufis’ assessment of Martin’s performance, saying that, during his tenure, he had seen an increased coordination between individual campaigns and the statewide Democratic apparatus. He also noted that Martin has successfully incorporated different ideological strains in the party while maintaining a united front. 

“I would also say that the party has gotten at the grassroots level and the central committee level more polarized,” Latz said. “Ken I think has been excellent and strategic at navigating that polarization and holding the party structure together.”

Latz also noted that, while he didn’t always agree with Martin in terms of policy, he always “pays good close attention when we’re talking.”

“I know I’ve always been able to get a hold of him when I felt the need to and he’s always been quite responsive and understanding of whatever my concerns are. He’s navigating a lot of sharp elbows of course in any political organization,” Latz said.