Washington: Democrats have elected Ken Martin, the party leader in Minnesota, as the national chair, as the party seeks to recover from its 2024 election defeat, where Donald Trump won the popular vote and made gains among key Democratic voter blocs.
Martin secured victory in the first round of voting, defeating Wisconsin Democratic Party Chair Ben Wikler, former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley, and Faiz Shakir, the former campaign manager for Sen. Bernie Sanders. According to CBS News, Martin won with 246.5 votes, while Wikler garnered 134.5, O’Malley 44, and Shakir 2.
Martin now faces the challenge of uniting a divided party and developing a new strategy ahead of the 2026 midterms and 2028 presidential election. Following his victory, he promised a stronger Democratic resistance against Trump, vowing to “take the gloves off” and focus on winning back working-class voters, strengthening party infrastructure, and enhancing the party’s anti-Trump rapid response system, reported AP.
His leadership comes at a critical moment as Democrats struggle with historically low approval ratings—just 31% of voters view the party favorably, compared to 43% for Republicans, per a Quinnipiac University poll.
