Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar stands with state Democratic Party Chairman Ken Martin before speaking at the election night watch party on Nov. 5 in St. Paul.
Abbie Parr/AP
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Abbie Parr/AP
ST. PAUL — In nearly 14 years atop Minnesota’s Democratic Party, Ken Martin has endured bleak outlooks, deep internal party divisions and some close calls. But in his tenure, he’s never had to explain away a loss on his watch in a statewide race.
That’s because there weren’t any.
It’s a selling point Martin is driving home in his bid to lead the Democratic National Committee. He’s also stressing his success in raising money for the party, working with state party leaders as a longtime leader of a Democratic chairs group, and offering the appeal of being from the nation’s heartland, where Democrats are in desperate need of a rebound.
Following Vice President Harris’ loss at the top of the ticket, the Democratic National Committee is looking for a new leader that can move the party forward. And members will meet in Maryland late next month to size up their options.
Martin, the current DNC vice chair, is viewed as a frontrunner in the race. Martin says he’s confident he can turn things around for Democrats across the country.
“I think there’s a lot of folks in D.C. who are interested in winning the argument, and I’m interested in winning elections. That’s why I’m running,” Martin said. “It’s what we’ve done here in Minnesota. And I think we have a recipe for success that we can bring to the national party.”
Grant Reeher, a political science professor at Syracuse University, said Martin’s pitch makes sense for Democrats in this moment.
“They need to try something different,” Reeher said. “They need to perhaps get back to their older roots as a Democratic Party and emphasize the economic issues more clearly and be less identity-focused.”
For his part, Martin said the party can do both. He said defending marginalized groups shouldn’t detract from a message aimed at working-class Americans.
