Where the hell is DNC Chair Ken Martin?

[Chasstev365]

Between the Supreme Court ruiling in Louisiana v. Callais and now the Virginia court striking down a voter approved redistricting referendum, we should be raising hell and messaging on this!

Sometimes I just want to throw in the towel and admit the fascist will win.

[usonian]

1. Busy

[CousinIT]

2. Sorry to say, Martin is not a very effective DNC chair.

He needs to release that damn 2024 autopsy and get off his ass on this redistricting mess.

[yellow dahlia]

4. Agreed!

[question everything]

12. Should not have been elected. Being a chair in Minnesota was an easy job

Wisconsin’s Devin Remiker would have been better, operating in a harsher climate.

[summer_in_TX]

47. Pretty sure it was Wisconsin's Ben Wikler who was in the running. Wisconsin's previous Dem chair.

A fundraising powerhouse, I hear, and very effective communicator.

[question everything]

49. You are correct. I just googled for the Wisconsin chair but Wikler is the one

[LymphocyteLover]

24. We are winning elections by huge margins. The 2024 autopsy is a distraction and releasing it would generate too much

negative news for the Dems when the opposition is flailing.

[Kid Berwyn]

3. He's been active in defending the right to hide 2024 election report.

Which obviously is more important than the fascists rolling over the Constitution.

[yellow dahlia]

5. In interviews recently, where he is questioned about the autopsy report - spin and BS.

I don't know how he got elected to the position. Martin O'Malley would have been a much better choice. O'Malley is smart and a communicator and a fighter.

How do we organize a coup? Or a recall?

[Kid Berwyn]

13. I'm resisting everything Trump.

Surprised how often that includes eh the non-repuglian.

[Bettie]

6. Makes me wonder if the report

points a finger somewhere that isn't Kamala Harris.

[Kid Berwyn]

14. Absolute pointing of the finger.

I remember when she and Walz were "making themselves known" with the voters. Walz was calling Trump, "weird" and Couchhumper, "weirder." Then the professional consultants -- longtime professionals who get paid win or lose -- came on board. Gone was weird and in was Liz Cheney.

[Bettie]

55. Yep, they told them not to

be themselves....and it backfired.

[DeeDeeNY]

7. The interview he did with Pod Save America host Jon Favreau told me all I needed to know about Ken Martin

I got very negative vibes from his evasiveness and spinning.

[mopinko]

8. i think it shows they diddled the vote,

and they dont want the smoke for not fighting it. not saying elon changed totals, but data on stuff like the bomb threats, etc, that made it NOT a free and fair election.
cant rly think of anything else worth hiding.

[LymphocyteLover]

18. You mean Republicans diddled the vote? Why would Martin hide that?

[mopinko]

23. cuz they did nothing.

[LymphocyteLover]

25. what were they supposed to do?

[mopinko]

34. sue.

[LymphocyteLover]

35. Sue on what grounds? Who would they sue? Sure, there was funny bunsiness in the election. Was it enough to swing the

election? Can it be clearly tied to any person or group? is there enough solid evidence that a case could be tried?

[mopinko]

39. well we might all know that if

they released the report.
i’m just speculating. i have no idea, except that the whole think stunk.

[LymphocyteLover]

44. I suspect they had no legal grounds to pursue anything, but I really would like to have seen them do

some forensic analysis on the voting in the swing states.

[mopinko]

45. yup.

they didnt want to ‘b like them’, i’m guessin.
it wd b helpful to see just how much they were able to swing it, tho.

[AnotherMother4Peace]

9. Who is Ken Martin? I had to goggle a picture of him. nt

[Attilatheblond]

30. The chap I only hear from when he asks for $$

Never hear what he's doing with the money, or even what is going on with the party.

[Renew Deal]

10. Why would most people care what the DNC chair has to say?

[betsuni]

15. I thought they did election finances, conventions and other election business and meet about once a year or something.

But in mythology the DNC is a large powerful infinitely-funded evil cabal of elderly elites headquartered in a vast underground wine cave called The Establishment where they sip champagne and nibble shrimp and caviars while plotting to rig primaries and stop at nothing to destroy nice progressives.

It's nutty!

[LeftInTX]

43. They meet quarterly. Here is an AI summary

The Democratic National Committee (DNC) held its 2026 Spring Meeting in New Orleans from April 9–11, 2026, featuring debates on Middle East policy, resolutions regarding Palestinian statehood, and preparations for the 2026 midterm elections.

The meeting included sessions on party strategy, and occurred alongside the Young Democrats of America spring meeting.Key 2026 DNC Meeting DetailsSpring Meeting: Held April 9-11, 2026, in New Orleans, LA.

Focus Areas: Internal debates over Israel policy, AIPAC influence, and strategy for 2026 midterm elections.

Associated Events: The Young Democrats of America also met in New Orleans for their Spring Meeting during the same period.

Leadership: Ken Martin serves as the DNC Chair.

Contextual InformationPrior Meeting: The December 2025 Winter meeting was held in Los Angeles, focusing on party organization, committee reports, and bylaw changes.

Upcoming Focus: The party is setting its sights on taking back Congress in 2026 and the White House in 2028.

Article about the April Meeting. TLDR...
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/04/09/the-dnc-is-meeting-and-israel-is-at-the-forefront-once-again-00864966

I would not want serve on the DNC or our State Executive Committee. Too much travel! I think Texas has about 15 DNC members.

[betsuni]

50. Thanks! So the big evil corrupt ESTABLISHMENT the anti-establishment is convinced is out to get them

is just Democrats sitting through meetings in hotels, probably tired after their flights and gassy from the buffet.

[LeftInTX]

51. That's how I see it. They're like "mini-conventions"

I have friends in State Democratic Executive Committee. It's all volunteer work. It costs a fortune to travel amd then stay at these venues four times a year. (Texas is a big state) I think they now have a few zoom options. The state just approved pay for the TDP chair. Staff is paid, but elected members are not. I'm sure DNC reps are not paid either.

I'm a precinct chair in the county executive committee. No pay for us! We pay for own copying and stuff like that. (Although the county will reimburse some of it) The county chair is not a paid position either.

[betsuni]

53. But wealthy donors and billionaires stuff establishment pockets with status quo $$$

and they have to be bad and corrupt and make prank phone calls to progressive candidates to ask if their refrigerator is running. That's the conspiracy theory we hear all the time, anyway.

An unpaid establishment just doesn't work, conspiracy-wise.

[betsuni]

11. How nice Jeffries and Schumer get a day off from being blamed for what Republicans do.

Have to root around for somebody else in some sort of leadership position to blame, though. Oh well, it's just for today.

[PatrickforB]

16. I know where he is. See my post below:

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=21227373

[orangecrush]

20. So do I

Great WW1 SSong

?si=OcbL2BCKPxGda6-_

[red dog 1]

17. "Some Democratic donors frustrated with DNC Chair Ken Martin amid fundraising woes." (ABC News)

Link to tweet

[BannonsLiver]

19. I don't think the DNC chair (or RNC chair) really matters that much anymore.

Sort of an outmoded office in this day and age. So, I really don't care about Ken Martin, who he is, or what he has supposedly done wrong, because the era of the powerful party boss is over and has been for at least a decade. I don't think I could even name the RNC chair. A decade ago that would be different.

[LymphocyteLover]

22. it matters but the importance of the DNC is very over-rated... especially for Dems who never march in lock-step

in contrast to the GOP

[BannonsLiver]

26. Agree on DNC. But I'd argue the importance of the DNC mirrors the importance of the party chair.

[LymphocyteLover]

27. Sure... which is why I don't really worry about Ken Martin

[FSogol]

31. Agreed. Nothing says, "I don't understand party politics" than

complaining about the DNC chair. People think he's supposed to be complaining on tv shows and podcasts all day as entertainment. His job is to raise money in the background.

[BannonsLiver]

33. Well said.

[SocialDemocrat61]

38. The problem is that

most political junkies have actually never been involved in a major campaign. It's like a sports fan who has never played professional sports. Despite not having no actual experience, they still think they know what their favorite team is doing wrong.

[JI7]

40. Right, things like social media matter more

that's where Biden seems Harris were being destroyed.

People on this site are still stuck in old ways.

[LymphocyteLover]

21. He posts regualrly on Bluesky. He's also helping Dems win elections and pushing the 50 state staregy that many Dems want

[SleeplessinSoCal]

28. Ben Wikler should have won.

Last edited Fri May 8, 2026, 05:16 PM - Edit history (1)

I was very upset when he lost to Martin. I swear, the DNC is either corrupt or completely out of touch with reality.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Wikler

[senseandsensibility]

29. He definitely needs to be more vocal and out there

Willing to concede that most of corporate media is probably not inviting him on, but MSNOW should be. In addition, he is merely average at communication from what I've seen. These are not average times. As far as the after election autopsy, I think that if it were released the corporate media would just use it as another way to bash Dems. It would spur constant Dems in disarray stories 24/7 and I don't know what we get out of that.

[Nanjeanne]

32. Where he has been ever since elected -- this side of useless

[SocialDemocrat61]

36. The job of the DNC chair is not

To be a public spokesperson for the party.

[Emile]

37. On vacation with Garland?

[Chasstev365]

42. Good One!

[vapor2]

41. Anyone calling his office and/or writing.

He is so ineffective

[summer_in_TX]

46. Wisconsin's Ben Wikler would have been an effective choice.

This guy? Not up to the job.

[DiverDave]

48. I would like to see

His bank deposits.
Something tells me he's had several LARGE deposits.
Money is the bottom line.

[angrychair]

52. Martin is more focused

On making progressives in the Democratic Party the enemy while he buries the 2024 election report and even ignoring the calls from Harris to release it.

[betsuni]

54. How does he make "progressives in the Democratic Party the enemy"?