The newly appointed leadership of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) is reportedly on the brink of disintegration, as indicated by leaked audio acquired by Politico.
Current Chair Ken Martin, who assumed his position in February, has been embroiled in a prolonged conflict with DNC Vice Chair David Hogg. The gun control advocate has vowed to utilize DNC resources to challenge Democratic lawmakers who do not align closely enough with leftist ideals, a strategy that has put him in direct opposition to Martin and other DNC traditionalists, who prefer to concentrate on regaining control of the House.
Hogg’s role is presently being contested by the DNC, as candidates who lost in February’s election have pointed out procedural mistakes in their request for a re-vote on the vice chair positions currently occupied by Hogg and Kenyatta. Additionally, Martin has suggested a rule modification that would prevent DNC officials from endorsing Democratic candidates in primary elections, a further action that could result in Hogg’s ousting.
Both proposals are scheduled for a vote by DNC leaders in the near future.
During a leaked Zoom meeting with party officials, Martin accused Hogg of undermining his leadership and admitted that he has contemplated resigning from his position if the internal conflicts persist.
“No one knows who I am, right? I’m trying to establish my credibility and actually gain the necessary support to raise funds and fulfill my responsibilities to position us for victory,” Martin stated in the recording obtained by Politico. “I don’t believe you meant this,” Martin addressed Hogg during the Zoom meeting on May 15, “but you have effectively ruined any opportunity I had to demonstrate the leadership I need to. It’s incredibly frustrating.”
Martin, who previously served as the chair of the Minnesota Democratic Party, successfully won a contested election for the national chairmanship in February. He has been assigned the responsibility of addressing several concerning trends for the Democratic Party, such as decreasing overall favorability ratings and significant declines in support from crucial demographics, including voters under 30 and men.
“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 wanna do this anymore,” Martin stated during a meeting attended by 10 DNC officers, as reported by Politico.
When approached for comments by the outlet, Martin retracted his earlier statement, asserting, “I’m not going anywhere.”
“I accepted this position to combat Republicans, not Democrats,” he continued. “As I mentioned upon my election, our struggle is not within the Democratic Party; our struggle must be exclusively directed at Donald Trump and the detrimental Republican agenda. That is the work I will persist in doing every day.”
Kenyatta, whose leadership position is also under scrutiny, defended Martin in light of the leaked audio. “Breaking news: a human being had a frustrating day at work. That’s all Ken expressed on that call,” he remarked, according to Politico.
Reports indicate that Martin has been urging Hogg to sign a neutrality pledge instead of formally voting on a rule change after the vice chair asserted that party leadership is “asleep at the wheel.”
Following the vote to formally contest his leadership, Hogg remarked that it was “impossible to ignore the broader context of my work to reform the party which loomed large over this vote” and that the “DNC has pledged to remove me, and this vote has provided an avenue to fast-track that effort.”
