Democratic Party chair frontrunner acknowledges ‘we’re getting our butts kicked right now’
The race for the next Democratic National Committee chair is heating up as the party grapples with major setbacks in the 2024 elections. With former President Trump back in the White House and the GOP flipping the Senate, Democrats are facing a tough road ahead.
Ken Martin, the chair of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party and a DNC vice chair, is a top contender for the position. He acknowledges that the party is currently “getting our butts kicked” and emphasizes the need to win back the U.S. House, Senate, and presidency in 2028. But he also stresses the importance of growing the party at all levels of government, from school boards to state legislatures.
Another frontrunner is Ben Wikler, who has led the Wisconsin Democratic Party since 2019. Wikler believes that the Democratic Party needs to aim higher than just winning elections – it needs to communicate its values to all Americans and fight for working people across the country. He points to the success of Democrats in Wisconsin as proof that he can lead the party to victory.
Former Maryland governor and 2016 presidential candidate Martin O’Malley is also in the running for DNC chair. O’Malley emphasizes the need to focus on registering more people as Democrats, returning to the party’s core economic message, and defending voting rights nationwide. He believes that the DNC chair needs to be a change maker, not just a caretaker.
With the executive committee of the DNC meeting in December 2024, the race for chair is heating up. Martin, Wikler, and O’Malley are all vying for the position, each with their own vision for the future of the Democratic Party. As the party looks to recover from its losses in 2024, the next DNC chair will play a crucial role in shaping its future.
