Longtime Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party Chair Ken Martin has been elected chair of the Democratic National Committee in a commanding first ballot victory, vaulting him to the national stage while leaving a major hole to fill for local Democrats.

Ken Martin, the head of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, was decisively elected chair of the Democratic National Committee on Saturday, beating a crowded field in the first round of voting to become the new face of a party struggling to find its footing during the second Trump administration.

The Democrats have a new face in charge. Ken Martin was elected chair of the Democratic National Committee on Feb. 1. After years as a Minnesota mainstay and leader of the state's major Democratic wing, Martin will head a party in flux after a 2024 defeat as it works to drum up a unified strategy to combat President Donald Trump's agenda.