O’Malley’s bid for DNC chair falls well short; Ken Martin new chair
Former Gov. Martin O’Malley’s Facebook page lists his former job “at state of Maryland” and more recently as head of the Social Security Administration.
The next entry will not be Democratic National Committee chair.
O’Malley, who became one of the first to throw his hat in the ring after the party’s poor performance in last fall’s electiion, came in a distant third Saturday in a field of eight candidates. At the Democratic National Committee meeting in National Harbor, Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party Chair Ken Martin easily won the election on the first ballot.
Martin had 246.5 votes to 134.5 for Wisconsin Democratic Party Chair Ben Wikler and 44 votes for O’Malley. Four delegates abstained, two voted for Faiz Shakir, who managed the 2020 presidential campaign of U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), and one voted for Massachusetts political strategist Jason Paul. The remaining candidates — Marianne Williamson, Quintessa Hathaway and Nate Snyder — received no votes.
In a statement posted to social media after the vote, O’Malley thanked party member said that running to lead tha party “in these times has been a duty and an honor.”
“Thank you, Democrats. Congratulations to Ken Martin on your victory. All of us must work together to change our party so we can save our country,” his statement said.
It echoed O’Malley’s pitch to the party before the vote, when he challenged them to elect a leader who would take bold steps to change the party and save the country.
“The change that we need to win is not going to be achieved by tinkering around the edges,” he said, “nor will it be achieved by turning the Democratic Party over to a handful of billionaires who pull strings from behind curtains and try to walk our elected officials on short leashes like dogs.”
Since entering the race in November, O’Malley has touted his experience as an administrator, a fundraiser and as the only elected official running for chair. He called on Democrats on Saturday to “reclaim the brand of this party, which is to fight for the economic security of every man, woman and child in America.”
Most of the day was dedicated to attacks on President Donald Trump and his actions in his first two weeks in office to pardon Jan. 6 rioters, target opponents to his first administration, fire inspectors general of federal agencies and surround himself with billionaires. Many were like Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) who called Trump’s actions so far a “recipe for corruption.”
“This has nothing to do with making the government more efficient. I’m all in on making the government more efficient,” Van Hollen said. “I’m not about turning the keys over to Elon Musk and his cronies.”
That sentiment was popular among candidates, with both Wikler and Martin saying during the campaign that the party needed to avoid taking money from billionaire donors, and work to regain the support of working class and Black and Latino voters, who moved away from the part in the last wlection.
Martin has been chair of the DFL Party in Minnesota since 2011, which was undefeated in statewide races under his leadership. He was elected to lead the Association of State Democratic Chairs in 2017.
But he has his work cut out for him as DNC chair. He takes over a national party that is unmoored and faces two years as the minority party, after Republicans captured the White House and the Senate and maintained control — barely — of the House in November.
At several points during the daylong Democratic meeting, speakers were interrupted by hecklers, but Martin said after his win that the party needs to be “one team, one fight.”
“The figbt is not in here, the fight is out there,” Martin said. “The fight is for our values, the fight is for working people. The fight right now is against Donald Trump and the billionaires who bought this country.”
He called on Democrats to “roll up our sleeves together to build this party.”
In a statement Saturday afternoon, Maryland Democratic Party Chair Ken Ulman said the state party is ready to work alongside Martin “to protect our democracy, hold Republicans accountable, and deliver for working families.”
“Ken [Martin] intimately understands what Maryland has shown firsthand: Sustained investment in local infrastructure and year-round organizing are the keys to winning tough races and building long-term power,” Ulman’s statement said.