Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

West Bank Town Becomes ‘Big Prison’ as Israel Fences It In

16 hours ago

Trump Says He’s Willing to Let Migrant Farm Laborers Stay in US

17 hours ago

US Electric Vehicle Tax Breaks Will Expire on Sept. 30

1 day ago

Eyeing Arctic Dominance, Trump Bill Earmarks $8.6 Billion for US Coast Guard Icebreakers

2 days ago

Trump’s Sweeping Tax-Cut and Spending Bill Wins Congressional Approval

2 days ago

Americans Celebrate Their Independence With Record-Breaking Travel Numbers

2 days ago

US Supreme Court to Decide Legality of Transgender School Sports Bans

2 days ago

Nvidia Set to Become the World’s Most Valuable Company in History

2 days ago

Poll: 41% in US ‘Extremely Proud’ to Be American, Near Historic Low

2 days ago
A Heavy Favorite Emerges in the Race to Lead the Democratic Party
d8a347b41db1ddee634e2d67d08798c102ef09ac
By The New York Times
Published 5 months ago on
January 21, 2025

Ken Martin, the Minnesota Democratic party chairman, in Saint Paul, Minn., on Monday, Nov. 18, 2024. Martin, who announced his candidacy to lead the DNC on Tuesday, has led the Minnesota state party since 2011 and served as a vice chairman of the national party since 2017. (Jenn Ackerman/The New York Times)

Share

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Ken Martin, one of the front-runners to lead the Democratic National Committee, said Tuesday that he had support from 200 members of the party, a level of backing that is close to what he needs to clinch victory.

If that support holds for Martin, chair of the Minnesota Democrats, he would be just 25 votes short of the number necessary to win the party elections on Feb. 1.

“I’m honored to have gained the support of leaders from across the country,” Martin said. “Our campaign is gaining momentum and we’re going to continue to work hard for people’s votes.”

Martin Has Support to Lead the DNC

None of the other candidates in the race to lead the DNC have claimed anywhere near the level of support that Martin has. His campaign did not release a list of his backers, though more than 100 national committee members have made their support for him public.

The other top contenders have announced far fewer public endorsements. One of them, Gov. Martin O’Malley of Maryland, has “just over 100” private commitments, according to his spokesperson, Chris Taylor.

Martin, Wikler Share Similar Mainstream Politics

Ben Wikler, the Wisconsin Democratic chair seen as Martin’s main rival, had said that he would not release internal whip counts. But in response to Martin’s tally, Wikler’s spokesperson, Brianna Johnson, said Wikler’s count was “within 30 votes of Ken.”

Johnson said Martin was “seeking to create a false sense of momentum.”

Martin and Wikler share broadly similar mainstream politics, and the race has not been marked by major proposals to remake the party after President Donald Trump’s victory in November.

Last week, Faiz Shakir, who served as the campaign manager for Sen. Bernie Sanders’ 2020 presidential bid, joined the race pledging to redefine the party as defenders of the working class.

Martin, who founded and led an organization of Democratic state party leaders that morphed into a power center within the national committee and grew into an annoyance for its leaders, has demonstrated support among fellow state party chairs and vice chairs.

Many institutional Democratic officials have privately complained about Martin’s attempt to lead the party, but they have made little public effort to block him from winning.

Other candidates include Nate Snyder, a former homeland security official in the Obama and Biden administrations; Marianne Williamson, the former presidential candidate; and Jason Paul, a Massachusetts lawyer who said during a forum last week that his party lost the presidential election because “the political media has insisted on manufacturing Democratic controversies.”

National committee members are set to gather on Feb. 1 at a hotel in Washington’s suburbs to elect their next chair. Jaime Harrison, the current chair, is not seeking reelection.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

By Reid J. Epstein/Jenn Ackerman
c. 2025 The New York Times Company

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Trump to Sign Tax-Cut and Spending Bill in July 4 Ceremony

DON'T MISS

Madre Fire Spurs Evacuations Across 3 Counties, Grows to More Than 70,000 Acres

DON'T MISS

Clovis, Sanger, Madera, and Bass Lake Will Light the Sky With Fireworks Shows Tonight

DON'T MISS

Oil Dips Ahead of Expected OPEC+ Output Increase

DON'T MISS

613 Killed at Gaza Aid Distribution Sites, Near Humanitarian Covoys, Says UN

DON'T MISS

Fresno County Authorities Investigating Suspicious Death of Transient Man

DON'T MISS

West Bank Town Becomes ‘Big Prison’ as Israel Fences It In

DON'T MISS

Israeli Military Kills 20 in Gaza as Trump Awaits Hamas Reply to Truce Proposal

DON'T MISS

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Rachelle Maria Blanco

DON'T MISS

Russia Pounds Kyiv With Largest Drone Attack, Hours After Trump-Putin Call

UP NEXT

Madre Fire Spurs Evacuations Across 3 Counties, Grows to More Than 70,000 Acres

UP NEXT

Clovis, Sanger, Madera, and Bass Lake Will Light the Sky With Fireworks Shows Tonight

UP NEXT

Oil Dips Ahead of Expected OPEC+ Output Increase

UP NEXT

613 Killed at Gaza Aid Distribution Sites, Near Humanitarian Covoys, Says UN

UP NEXT

Fresno County Authorities Investigating Suspicious Death of Transient Man

UP NEXT

West Bank Town Becomes ‘Big Prison’ as Israel Fences It In

UP NEXT

Israeli Military Kills 20 in Gaza as Trump Awaits Hamas Reply to Truce Proposal

UP NEXT

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Rachelle Maria Blanco

UP NEXT

Russia Pounds Kyiv With Largest Drone Attack, Hours After Trump-Putin Call

UP NEXT

Boxer Chavez Jr Expected to Be Deported to Mexico to Serve Sentence, Mexican President Says

Oil Dips Ahead of Expected OPEC+ Output Increase

16 hours ago

613 Killed at Gaza Aid Distribution Sites, Near Humanitarian Covoys, Says UN

16 hours ago

Fresno County Authorities Investigating Suspicious Death of Transient Man

16 hours ago

West Bank Town Becomes ‘Big Prison’ as Israel Fences It In

16 hours ago

Israeli Military Kills 20 in Gaza as Trump Awaits Hamas Reply to Truce Proposal

16 hours ago

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Rachelle Maria Blanco

16 hours ago

Russia Pounds Kyiv With Largest Drone Attack, Hours After Trump-Putin Call

16 hours ago

Boxer Chavez Jr Expected to Be Deported to Mexico to Serve Sentence, Mexican President Says

17 hours ago

Markets’ 90-Day Tariff Pause Rollercoaster Nears an Uncertain End

17 hours ago

Trump Says He’s Willing to Let Migrant Farm Laborers Stay in US

17 hours ago

Trump to Sign Tax-Cut and Spending Bill in July 4 Ceremony

President Donald Trump is scheduled to sign a massive package of tax and spending cuts into law at a ceremony at the White House on Friday, ...

15 hours ago

President Donald Trump speaks during a press conference in the Roosevelt Room at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 12, 2025. (Reuters File)
15 hours ago

Trump to Sign Tax-Cut and Spending Bill in July 4 Ceremony

The Madre Fire burning near New Cuyama has scorched 70,801 acres as of Friday, July 4, 2025, afternoon, making it California’s largest wildfire of the year, with only 10% containment and multiple evacuation zones in place. (CalFire)
15 hours ago

Madre Fire Spurs Evacuations Across 3 Counties, Grows to More Than 70,000 Acres

15 hours ago

Clovis, Sanger, Madera, and Bass Lake Will Light the Sky With Fireworks Shows Tonight

A pumpjack operates at the Vermilion Energy site in Trigueres, France, June 14, 2024. (Reuters File)
16 hours ago

Oil Dips Ahead of Expected OPEC+ Output Increase

Palestinians gather to collect what remains of relief supplies from the distribution center of the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, June 5, 2025. (Reuters File)
16 hours ago

613 Killed at Gaza Aid Distribution Sites, Near Humanitarian Covoys, Says UN

Billy Wayne Sinisgalli, a 54-year-old transient known locally as Wayne, was found dead along a rural Fresno road Wednesday in what authorities are investigating as a suspicious death. (Fresno County SO)
16 hours ago

Fresno County Authorities Investigating Suspicious Death of Transient Man

Israel Builds a Fence Around the West Bank
16 hours ago

West Bank Town Becomes ‘Big Prison’ as Israel Fences It In

A view of the site of Thursday's Israeli strike that damaged and destroyed residential buildings, at Shati (Beach) refugee camp, in Gaza City, July 4, 2025. (Reuters/Mahmoud Issa)
16 hours ago

Israeli Military Kills 20 in Gaza as Trump Awaits Hamas Reply to Truce Proposal

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend