


Democratic National Committee Chairman Ken Martin appeared heavily demoralized in a leaked audio recording, choking up and questioning his ability to keep leading the party.
The audio recording, obtained by Politico, captured a May 15 Zoom meeting with DNC officers. At the meeting, Martin said Democratic infighting sparked by controversies with Vice Chairman David Hogg was taking a toll on his self-confidence and ability to lead.
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“I’ll be very honest with you, for the first time in my 100 days on this job … the other night I said to myself for the first time, I don’t know if I want to do this anymore,” he said.
Martin voiced frustration with the treatment of other head officers in recent power struggles and the position it put him in.
“I’m just quite frustrated with the position I’m in. … No one knows who the hell I am, right? I’m trying to get my sea legs underneath of me and actually develop any amount of credibility so I can go out there and raise the money and do the job I need to put ourselves in a position to win,” Martin said, speaking to Hogg. “And again, I don’t think you intended this, but you essentially destroyed any chance I have to show the leadership that I need to. So it’s really frustrating.”
Hogg sparked an internal crisis in a Democratic Party already reeling from its blistering 2024 defeats when he said the DNC would primary Democratic incumbents viewed as ineffective. Martin and other DNC leaders denounced the plan, while others moved to oust Hogg altogether on a technicality.
As indicated in the recording, the crisis took a significant personal toll on Martin.
In a statement to Politico, however, Martin insisted, “I’m not going anywhere.”
“I took this job to fight Republicans, not Democrats,” he added. “As I said when I was elected, our fight is not within the Democratic Party; our fight is and has to be solely focused on Donald Trump and the disastrous Republican agenda. That’s the work that I will continue to do every day.”
DNC VOTE ON DAVID HOGG’S FATE UNITES DEMOCRATIC INCUMBENTS
Martin took over as head of the DNC just months ago after longtime DNC Chairman Jaime Harrison decided to step down following the party’s 2024 losses.
The DNC will vote from Monday to Wednesday on whether to redo the DNC vice chair election, a decision that could push Hogg to run again, where he’d face an uphill battle.