One day after the Democratic National Committee released its botched autopsy report on the 2024 election, Democratic leaders continued to debate how to respond—even as renewed pressure mounted on Ken Martin to resign as chair. The party’s scramble toward the November midterms unfolded alongside intraparty demands for major changes at the top of the organization.
Several elected officials and Democratic operatives said Martin mismanaged the report, which was originally intended as a comprehensive examination of the party’s failures and a road map for the future. They also said the handling of the review disrupted efforts to keep Democrats focused on the next election cycle.
Rep. Marc Veasey, D-Texas, told Semafor that Martin needed to step aside, arguing that there was no plan to turn the situation around and that time is running out. Veasey said, “There doesn’t seem to be a plan to turn things around and the clock is ticking. November is literally around the corner,” adding, “I believe it’s time for him to move on.”
Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., echoed the call for leadership change when he told Axios, “He should resign.” Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wisc., said on radio that he agreed with a caller who urged Martin’s replacement.
Martin, however, maintained that he had support among state party leaders and said he was prepared to continue leading the organization. In a conversation with DNC staff on Thursday, Martin apologized for his handling of the autopsy and said he was determined to keep the job, according to a person familiar with the call who was not authorized to disclose a private conversation. Martin said, “This was a major mistake. I own it, and now it’s time for us to move forward at the DNC, and I hope that you’ll move forward with me,” the person familiar with the call said.
Beyond the immediate resign-pressure, the dispute echoed broader criticism of Martin’s performance inside the party machine, including allegations about dismal fundraising and a lack of confidence among some Democrats. Still, the Associated Press reported that when it contacted a half dozen Democratic presidential prospects to gauge whether they backed Martin, all declined to weigh in.
The pushback against the leadership turmoil also came from across the country from Martin’s allies. Jeanna RePass, chair of the Kansas Democratic Party, described the calls for the first-term chair to step down as “ridiculous and dangerous,” saying it was “dangerous for Democrats to be playing politics with our leadership when these elections are five and a half months away.” RePass added that “The American people are counting on us.”
Janet Kleeb of Nebraska, who leads her state party and heads the DNC’s association of state committees, said the infighting was “nuts” and argued that Martin had been elected to a four-year term. Kleeb said she had not heard a chair come to her with the view that Ken Martin should resign and added, “Ken was elected by the DNC members to do a four-year term, and he has not violated any of our rules or bylaws where there would be a two-thirds vote, right? Because that’s what it would take to remove the chair.” She added that “These reports are such distraction.”
The released autopsy report examined Democrats’ campaign and electoral performance after the party lost in 2024, and it included criticism of how Vice President Kamala Harris and the party approached key parts of the race. The report said Harris “wrote off rural America” and that Democrats failed to attack former President Donald Trump with sufficient “negative firepower,” among other findings, according to the AP.
The report’s release also followed months of delay. Martin shared the 192-page autopsy only after internal pressure from Democratic operatives, and he had kept it under wraps for months, stoking speculation about its contents. Martin had written that he originally promised to release the autopsy even before taking over the committee last year but said he kept it back because he worried it would interfere with Democrats’ focus on the midterm elections.
In a Substack post, Martin apologized for the episode, writing, “I didn’t want to create a distraction,” and adding, “Ironically, in doing so, I ended up creating an even bigger distraction. And for that, I sincerely apologize.” Even as the report draws attention to some campaign decisions, the AP said it sidestepped some of the most controversial elements of the 2024 cycle, including former President Joe Biden’s decision to seek reelection, the rushed selection of Harris after Biden dropped out, and internal divisions over the war in Gaza.
Kinnard reported from Columbia, South Carolina.