Ken Martin DNC chair fight stalls as party insiders hold fire
Ken Martin faces louder Democratic criticism, but NBC News reports DNC members have not mounted a push to remove him before the midterms.
By Sal Moretti · Money Reporter
3 min read
Ken Martin, DNC chair for the past year, is facing another burst of Democratic frustration, but the people with the power to force him out have not moved against him, according to NBC News.
NBC News reported that calls for Martin’s replacement have grown in some party circles after a string of flare-ups during his first year leading the Democratic National Committee. Those controversies have included weak fundraising and shifting positions around the party’s review of its 2024 election losses.
The latest round of bad headlines arrived over the weekend. The New York Times reported that Martin threw a phone at an aide’s desk. The Bulwark also published a report on DNC finance and fundraising troubles under Martin.
That set off a familiar Washington scramble. NBC News reported that Democratic consultants began calling for Martin to resign and debating who should take over the national party committee.
Veteran Democratic strategist James Carville went further this week, suggesting David Hogg should lead the DNC. Hogg is the former DNC vice chair who was ousted from that role, and Carville had called him a “contemptible little twerp” last year, according to Mediaite.
Can Ken Martin be removed as DNC chair?
DNC rules say a national chair can be removed by a majority vote of DNC members. That makes the committee members, not consultants or outside commentators, the central players in any real challenge to Martin’s job.
For now, NBC News reported, that challenge has not materialized. Martin is resisting pressure to step aside, allies are defending him, and senior Democrats are either backing him or keeping out of the fight.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Sunday that Martin “has my full support,” according to NBC News. Potential 2028 Democratic presidential candidates could add pressure, but NBC News reported that none has called for Martin to be removed.
DNC members are expected to gather in Austin next month. Even some of Martin’s sharpest internal critics told NBC News there is no broad push underway to oust him, though some said they are considering options that could include a no-confidence vote.
Michael Ceraso, a Democratic strategist who works with DNC members and state party chairs, told NBC News he has not seen signs of an organized effort from inside the committee.
“Based on my conversations that I had with chairs and DNC leaders, there’s no indication whatsoever that there is some mass mobilization to oust Ken,” Ceraso said.
The calendar may be helping Martin. NBC News reported that party leaders have little reason to create more upheaval before the midterm elections, which are only months away.
One DNC official, speaking to NBC News without authorization to be named, said any reckoning would likely come after the midterms. The official said they were hoping Martin would “pull it together,” and added, “I wouldn’t be shocked if it were an end-of-the-year thing. Unless something truly horrific comes out, I don’t think a change happens before the midterms.”
This story draws on original reporting from NBC News.