Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chair Ken Martin said in a recent party meeting that Vice Chair David Hogg has “essentially destroyed” his chances of leading the DNC successfully, according to leaked audio obtained by Politico.
Martin seemed to get choked up as he addressed Hogg, who rose to national prominence as a gun control activist and has pledged to primary Democrats he sees as ineffective in pushing back against President Trump and the GOP.
“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, to put ourselves in a position to win,” Martin told other DNC leaders on the call.
“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. It’s really frustrating,” Martin said.
Politico reported that the conversation took place on a Zoom meeting of DNC officers on May 15, a few days after the DNC recommended new elections on procedural grounds for seats held by Hogg and one other vice chair. Members will decide on Monday whether to hold new elections.
In the recording, Martin told Hogg that he respected the progressive activist, but said the intraparty drama has led him to question whether it’s worth continuing in the post.
“I’ll say, look, it has plenty of warts, and we’re all trying to change those, for sure, but the longer we continue this fight, the harder it is for us to actually do what we all want to do, which is make a difference in this country again,” Martin said in the meeting.
“So I deeply respect you, David. I, too, was looking forward to working with you, but this has created a situation, and 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.”
In a statement to The Hill, Martin said, “I’m not going anywhere.”
“I took this job to fight Republicans, not Democrats. 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,” he said. “That’s the work that I will continue to do every day.”
Symone Sanders Townsend, an MSNBC host and former Democratic adviser, came to Martin’s defense in a post on X on Sunday.
“Ken Martin had a vulnerable moment w/his vice chairs & other leaders on a call. Someone recorded it + shared it. Seems to me THAT anonymous person has no business anywhere near the DNC,” she wrote.
“As a former DNC member, it’s quite clear there are too many people currently in roles for the wrong reasons. From the outside looking in, I don’t think Ken Martin is one of them.”
