Four state party chairs are backing Minnesota’s Ken Martin in his bid to chair the Democratic National Committee (DNC), ABC News has learned.
The leaders of the southwestern Democratic parties in New Mexico and Oklahoma as well as the critical swing state of Arizona and the increasingly purple state of Texas endorsed Martin, chairman of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party, on Thursday morning.
“The American Southwest is one of the fastest growing parts of the country — and it’s become a key political battleground every election year. Leaders in these critical states have put their faith in my ability to help our party win again. And I don’t take that lightly. I’m grateful to have their support to run the next DNC and won’t let them down,” Martin said in a statement to ABC News.
The leaders all represent states where the national Democratic ticket led by Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz struggled to fully resonate with voters and, at times, underperformed Democratic House and Senate candidates.