Why Minnesota Democratic Chairman Ken Martin thinks he can shape the DNC: NPR

Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar stands with state Democratic Party Chairman Ken Martin before speaking at the Election Night Watch party in St. Paul on November 5.

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Abbie Parr/AP

ST. PAUL — In nearly 14 years at the helm of the Minnesota Democratic Party, Ken Martin has endured a bleak outlook, deep intraparty divisions and some close calls. But during his time in office, he has never had to declare defeat in a statewide race.

That’s because there weren’t any.

It’s a selling point that Martin is making clear in his bid to lead the Democratic National Committee. He also highlights his success in raising money for the party, working with state party leaders as a longtime leader of a Democratic caucus and the appeal of coming from the nation’s heartland, where Democrats desperately need a boost.

After the loss of Vice President Harris at the top of the slate, the Democratic National Committee is looking for a new leader who can move the party forward. And members will meet in Maryland late next month to weigh their options.

Martin, the current DNC ​​vice chairman, is considered the front-runner in the race. Martin says he’s confident he can turn things around for Democrats across the country.

“I think there are a lot of people 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. “That’s what we did here in Minnesota. And I think we have a recipe for success that we can bring to the national party.”

Martin took over as chairman of the Minnesota Democratic Party, known as the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, in 2011. Although the party had just won the governor’s office for the first time in decades, it was in debt and was at times seen as helpless. Martin brought together party leaders, interest groups and activists and charted a new path.

Today, the party is financially strong and has not lost a statewide race since 2006. Martin says that’s what sets him apart from other candidates like neighboring Wisconsin Democratic Party Chairman Ben Wikler. Former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley and New York State Sen. James Skoufis are also in the race.

“What is needed to get us back on track is someone who has already done the work of turning around a party that had weak morale and was trying to find a way forward,” Martin said.

Wikler’s supporters say it would be beneficial to select a leader from a swing state who will be at the forefront of the campaign in close elections.

But Martin said he was thinking ahead. Martin said the DNC needs to refocus its energy and outreach efforts by engaging state Democratic parties across the country. That means engaging local people to interact with voters year-round – and recruiting candidates for elections at all levels.

He also said the party needs an overhaul of its messaging as well as a new approach to where Democrats direct those messages. Martin said they need to expand their offering to include more podcasts, social media channels and a wider range of news channels.

“The majority of Americans now believe that the Republican Party best represents the interests of the working class and the poor, and the Democrats are for the rich and the elite. “This is a damning indictment of our party and clearly our brand as Democrats,” Martin said. “We need to reestablish our brand in the eyes of voters, and part of that is connecting our very popular political formula to our candidates and our party.”

To that end, Martin said Democrats need to remind voters that they are the ones driving policies like a higher minimum wage, enhanced worker protections and paid family and medical leave benefits across the country — not Republicans.

“We fight for people who are working harder than ever before,” he said. “And we need to go back to basics.”

Grant Reeher, a political science professor at Syracuse University, said Martin’s pitch makes sense for Democrats at this moment.

“They need to try something different,” Reeher said. “Maybe they need to go back to their old roots as the Democratic Party and emphasize economic issues more clearly and be less identity-focused.”

For his part, Martin said the party could do both. He said defending marginalized groups should not distract from a message aimed at the American working class.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said Martin will have a good chance if he brings the Minnesota Democrats’ mantra – “We all do better when we all do better” – to the national stage.

“If he carries the Minnesota message to the United States, I think the Democratic Party will have the kind of success that Minnesota has enjoyed from the DFL perspective,” said Ellison, who ran for DNC chairman in 2017 with Martin’s support ran for office and eventually became deputy chairman.

Dan Engelhart was a noncommittal delegate to the Democratic National Convention, a movement that protested the Biden administration’s handling of the war in Gaza. Despite disagreements with Martin over the party platform, Engelhart said Martin was the best candidate in the race.

“I think he would be a good fit. … He was definitely fair to us as a non-binding delegation,” said Engelhart. “We were treated fairly, and that’s what really matters, given the general attitude toward the uncommitted delegation to the DNC (Democratic National Convention).”

Republicans in Minnesota also recognize that Martin was a driving force in building the Democratic Party there.

“We’re very evenly divided politically, but I think the DFL has built a pretty strong organization,” said David Hann, chairman of the Minnesota Republican Party. “I think you have to give Ken Martin a lot of credit for that.”

The DNC is expected to choose its new chairman next month after a series of candidate forums. Until then, Martin hopes to make the case that it should follow the Minnesota model.

Minnesota Public Radio reporter Clay Masters contributed to this report.