Democrats Ken Martin

Newly elected Democratic National Committee Chairman Ken Martin speaks after winning the vote at the Democratic National Committee Winter Meeting at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Md., Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025.

OXON HILL, Md. — Democrats on Saturday elected Ken Martin, the party leader in Minnesota, as the national chair, turning to a low-profile Midwestern political operative to coordinate their resistance to presidency.

Martin succeeds Jaime Harrison of South Carolina atop the . Harrison did not seek another term after the 2024 election when Trump became the first Republican to win the popular vote in two decades and made modest gains with core Democratic constituencies — African Americans, Latinos and working-class voters, among them.

Martin offered a warning to Trump and his Republican allies after the vote was announced: “We're coming. This is a new Democratic Party. We're taking the gloves off.â€

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