'Give him a chance': Democrats sticking by embattled chair

'Give him a chance': Democrats sticking by embattled chair. By Burgess Everett. Published July 28, 2026.

Top Democrats in Washington are not happy about the state of their national party committee - yet most of them see Chair Ken Martin's job as safe.

Martin's problems are well-documented: The Democratic National Committee is broke, its new presidential primary calendar is frustrating some high-profile members, and discontent with his leadership is so high that a well-known fundraiser penned a Substack this week to declare there's "no saving" Martin's chairmanship.

The party's most influential members may wince when they compare that picture to the Republican National Committee's $128 million in the bank. But an ugly ouster of Martin at a crucial moment, barely three months before the midterms, doesn't make sense to them either.

Getting rid of Martin "100 days from an election? I don't think that's the solution right now," said Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., one of the party's best fundraisers and a vice chair at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.

"We have a real opportunity here to win a lot of races across the country," Kelly added. "The environment's good. I saw they have fundraising challenges. Fundraising challenges can be addressed. I think he's got the ability to do that. And we've got several months to go."

In other words, this isn't 2016, when the party forced out then-DNC Chair Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz during its convention. Democrats don't see a viable successor to Martin ready to lead the overhaul that they know their party organization ahead of the 2028 cycle. No ambitious Democrat has put out feelers about replacing him.

Former DNC Vice Chair David Hogg, whom Democratic pundit James Carville suggested as a replacement, told Semafor that "it's hard to imagine who would want the job."

And removing Martin wouldn't be easy; it requires a majority vote by the 448 members of the DNC.

So Democrats are ready to ride it out until a midterm election that, thanks in large part to the low popularity of President Donald Trump, could deliver them the House and possibly the Senate.

As Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., put it about Martin: "The DNC has many problems that are not him."

"Obviously there are more things that they can be doing," said Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., "He was dealt a very difficult hand, and I think we should continue to give him a chance."

Former Wisconsin Democratic Party Chairman Ben Wikler told Semafor he's not interested in the job either. Wikler ran against Martin for the chairmanship, with the backing of many congressional Democratic leaders.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is among those reiterating support for Martin, though Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chair Suzan DelBene told CNN on Tuesday that Martin understands the "need to do better."

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., said she gets along "personally fine" with Martin but that he hasn't responded forcefully enough to her request that the DNC help stop outside spending from determining primaries.

Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., said he doesn't think the "DNC ever has money" and said the scoreboard will tell the tale about Martin's tenure. "The way you determine how well you do is if you win. So that comes in November," Gallego said.