Democrats in Disarray: Ken Martin's tenure so far at DNC ripped
Democratic National Committee (DNC) chair Ken Martin stopped in one-time battleground-turned-red state Ohio this week, as part of his "50-state strategy" to help Democrats try and win elections from coast to coast.
"We can't be a party that's just focused on national power, because elections aren't won in D.C., they're won in states like Ohio," Martin said in Cleveland at a forum on the future of the Democratic Party. "Ohio is a huge swing state in 2026."
Martin, who was elected as DNC chair at the beginning of February, is on a mission to help Democrats escape the political wilderness, following stunning setbacks in last November's elections, when the party lost control of the White House and the Senate and fell short of winning back the House majority.
But while Democrats are now energized to resist President Donald Trump's sweeping and controversial agenda during his second tour of duty in the White House, Martin's tenure so far steering the national party committee has been anything but smooth sailing.
"There is a huge vacuum of leadership in the Democratic Party and Ken is proving to be a weak, ineffective leader who isn't ready for any of this," a former DNC official, who asked for anonymity to speak more freely, told Fox News.
Bitter infighting has hampered Martin – who was the longtime chair of the Minnesota Democrats when he won the DNC chair election – during his first four and a half months on the job.
David Hogg, the 25-year-old activist and school shooting survivor who was elected a DNC vice chair the same day Martin won the chair election, ignited a civil war within the party by pledging to spend millions of dollars through his outside political group to support primary-challenges some older House Democrats in blue districts that he said were "asleep at the wheel."
Hogg's threat to spend money against fellow Democrats, which was unprecedented at the DNC, eventually led to his exit from the national party committee earlier this month.
The party's clash with Hogg included embarrassing audio of Martin - that was leaked to the press - of the chair questioning his ability to lead the DNC.
"You essentially destroyed any chance I have to show the leadership that I need to," Martin said of Hogg in the recording, which was first reported by Politico. "I don't know if I wanna do this anymore."
Days later - more bad news - as two top national labor leaders quit their roles at the DNC.
Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, and Lee Saunders, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, declined offers to stay on as at-large members of the DNC as they questioned the party's direction under Martin. The news was first reported by the New York Times.
Meanwhile, in the crucial fundraising battle with the rival Republican National Committee, the DNC is falling behind, according to the latest campaign cash figures.
The latest filings with the Federal Election Commission show the RNC with $67 million cash on hand as of the end of April, far ahead of the DNC's $17 million in their coffers.
While the infighting over the past few months may subside, the party's fundraising could be a concern as Democrats aim to win back the House and possibly the Senate in next year's midterm elections.
A DNC committee member, who also asked to remain anonymous, told Fox News that Martin's tenure so far "has been underwhelming."
Meanwhile, Maria Cardona, a longtime Democratic strategist and current DNC committee member, told Fox News "DNC members are absolutely frustrated and sick of the in-fighting and wish that everyone would just get over themselves and focus on helping Chairman Martin and the party defeat Republicans instead of attacking each other.
"We have no time for this bullsh-t. Our country and our democracy is facing existential threats every day, and that is where 1000% of our fight needs to be," Cardona argued.
A former DNC official, who was granted anonymity, acknowledged that "the Democratic Party is in a rebuilding phase. "Everyone knew it was going to be a difficult task."
But the official added "that is also why the Party overwhelmingly elected Ken and trusted him to lead the way. Instead of creating needless distractions that make his job harder, Democrats should work together and focus on the only thing that matters: winning."
Cardona told Fox News that "everything that Ken has done, regardless of the drama that it has caused, has been the right moves."
She and others in support of Martin noted the Democrats' success in recent months in off-year and special elections, as well as the DNC's increased investments in the state parties.
Another committee member, who was granted anonymity, pointed to the traditional powerful role of a national party chair when their party is out of power in the White House.
"Ken is the boss," the committee member told Fox News. "Ken is rebuilding the house…he still has some major renovations to do."
But the committee member added that that role can often ruffle feathers with others within the party.
Both Weingarten and Saunders supported Martin's competitor in the race for DNC chair, now-former Wisconsin Democratic Party Chair Ben Wikler. As chair, Martin later removed Weingarten from the DNC's Rules and Bylaws Committee, which is the group responsible for drafting the Democratic Party's presidential nominating calendar and election process.
The DNC committee member told Fox News Digital it was "not surprising" the union leaders decided to step down from the DNC, "given they both supported another candidate."
Martin, in an interview this week with the New York Times, said "I know there's a lot of people that are carrying grudges, that are still litigating the campaign that their person didn't win."
And Martin, in a statement to Fox News, said that "some people in DC just want to win an argument, but I'm focused on winning elections. This year, Democrats have an unprecedented track record of 32 wins and overperformances in races across the country. That's what I was elected to do."
The chair highlighted that "we have to cut through the noise and focus on what works" and that the "American people don't care about beltway chatter, and neither do I – they want to know that Democrats are fighting for them. Under my leadership, that's what the DNC is doing."
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