Ken Martin is under fire from a wide swath of Democratic lawmakers, operatives and activists who are demanding he step down as the Democratic National Committee chairman after a post-2024 election report was found to be riddled with errors and glaring omissions.
Already dogged over concerns about the party’s fundraising, the calls for Mr. Martin to step down reached a fever pitch after he bowed to weeks of pressure and followed through on his promise to release the 2024 autopsy report — one that, it turns out, wasn’t ready for primetime.
“Ken Martin brought [in] the wrong person and then when he was presented with this document, he did nothing to make it better,” Rebecca Katz, a prominent left-leaning political strategist, said on X. “He didn’t immediately fire the guy, he didn’t hire someone who could do the job — he just let it play out … kinda like what they all did around Biden headed into 2024.”
“What a disgrace,” she said.
The dam broke on Capitol Hill after Rep. Marc Veasey, Texas Democrat, told Semafor that the election was too close to play around, and that “I believe it’s time for him to move on.”
Rep. Seth Moulton of Massachusetts told Axios he should step down, citing his “lack of leadership.” Rep. Marc Pocan of Wisconsin, also a Democrat, agreed.
Mr. Martin first pledged to release the autopsy report of the party’s losses, including the Kamala Harris-Tim Walz presidential ticket, after becoming DNC chairman in early February 2025.
But he reversed course in December, saying he would not release the report because the party was looking ahead and that the lessons learned from interviews with activists across the country would help guide the party’s mission heading into the 2026 midterms and the 2028 presidential race.
That left numerous people in the party unsatisfied, including activists who have been clamoring for party leaders to be more critical of Israel’s military efforts in Gaza, and looking for more insights into how President Trump was able to win back the White House.
Some DNC members said the entire idea was dumb from the start, asking why the party would want to air its dirty laundry.
DNC officials, meanwhile, remained dodgy about why they were not releasing the report.
Asked whether a formal report had been written, DNC Co-vice Chair Jane Kleeb told The Washington Times, “Yes, there is a report.”
Behind the scenes, though, party insiders said Mr. Martin, Ms. Kleeb and others were playing a game of semantics. Yes, there was a report, but they knew it was an absolute mess.
That became clear Thursday after Mr. Martin released the 192-page review that urged the party to move away from identity politics and focus on economic issues and the cost of living.
“Winning Anywhere means providing for a renewed focus on the voters of Middle America and the South who have come to believe they are not included in the Democratic vision of a stronger and more dynamic America for everyone,” the author of the report, Democratic strategist Paul Rivera, wrote.
Mr. Martin said he approved the report’s release to be transparent, but also tried to distance himself from the analysis that included red-ink edits noting inaccurate data, missing source information and unverified claims.
“I am not proud of this product; it does not meet my standards, and it won’t meet your standards,” said Mr. Martin, who hired Mr. Rivera to lead the effort.
It only seemed to make things worse.
“This autopsy, and the monthslong debate about even releasing the report, is a demoralizing joke,” said David Hogg, the gun-control activist who briefly served as DNC co-chair. “It is clear that Ken Martin has lost the confidence of his staff, supporters, and most importantly, millions of Americans counting on the DNC to help Democrats win up and down the ballot in 2026 and 2028.”
“Ken Martin should resign, and the DNC should select a new leader who demonstrates competence, creativity and moral clarity, and a relentless commitment to actually changing the broken Democratic Party brand,” he said.
