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We’re Longtime DNC Members—And We Support Ken Martin

Many of those trying to bring the DNC chair down just want the party to continue to act as an ATM machine for their consultancies.

Ken Martin speaks at the 2026 California Democratic Party State Convention in San Francisco, Feb. 21, 2026.

We write as longtime members of the Democratic National Committee who for decades have been fighting for deep reforms in how the party operates and the role that money plays in distorting our politics. Given this, one might think that we would be joining the chorus of those sniping at current DNC chair Ken Martin. We are not. We support Martin because, in a word, he’s a reformer too.

Later this week, when the party meets in Austin, Martin will present a comprehensive plan to ban “dark money, ” i.e., corporate and billionaire super PACs, from Democratic presidential primaries. If this plan passes, it will represent the most significant change in nominating the party’s presidential candidate in decades. (We have been involved in the crafting of this plan, and Martin has asked us to serve on a task force for its implementation.)

Getting the polluting impact of dark money out of our politics is a big deal. While it’s been a problem for years, it took Ken Martin to say “Enough!” and then get the ball rolling to do something about it.

Why, then, are there so many articles from non-DNC members decrying Martin’s year-and-a-half-long tenure? One such example appeared in a recent Wall Street Journal piece. Rufus Gifford, the 2024 finance chair for the Biden and Harris presidential campaigns, told the paper, “The two primary jobs of the Democratic National Committee are one, fundraising, and two, going on every form of media every day and messaging.  If you cannot do those two things as DNC Chair, then you can’t do the job effectively.”

Gifford’s remarks might be considered more than a bit cheeky coming from........

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