MINNEAPOLIS, MN – Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin ushered through a slate of amendments to the party rules Tuesday meant to make the Democrats’ governing body more inclusive.
Martin presented eight amendments to the DNC’s Rules and Bylaws Committee meeting in downtown Minneapolis on Tuesday, and all were approved with strong support.
“This package of reforms is historic. It is transformative. It’s inclusive. It helps us rebuild trust with voters, and it gives people…a sense that we listen, and we learn — that we will do better, and that we are open and inclusive,” Martin said.
Earlier in the day, tensions among DNC members were on display as they debated whether to approve a resolution outlining the party’s stance on Israel’s war in Gaza, ultimately deciding to postpone the issue for now. Martin is also confronting early dissatisfaction with his leadership, flagging donations and a voter base anxious to fight back against President Donald Trump.
Tuesday evening, however, Martin found strong support in favor of rule changes that would place limits on his own power.
The rule changes reduce the number of members selected by the party chair and instead gives those slots to the party’s Asian American and Pacific Islander, Black, Hispanic, LGBTQ and Native American caucuses; increase the scope and oversight powers of the budget committee; limit the number of chair-appointed members who serve on the party’s major committees; and require DNC staff and officers to stay neutral in Democratic primary races.
The rule requiring Democratic officers to remain neutral comes on the heels of a bitter dispute between party leaders and former DNC Vice Chair David Hogg. The 25-year-old gun safety activist was pushed out of his official party role over his plans to fund younger politicians’ primary challenges to older Democrats in safe districts.
And, in 2016, supporters of Sen. Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign accused the DNC of backing his opponent Hillary Clinton in the primary race.
The neutrality policy means “you can’t help your friends who are running,” Martin told the committee members.
Shasti Conrad, chair of the Washington State Democratic Party and one of Martin’s vice chair appointees, said the neutrality policy is “incredibly important.”
“For far too long, I think many people — progressives, people of color, young people — have felt that at times, institutions like these have put thumbs on the scales and have made it harder for people to be able to feel like they have a fair chance,” Conrad said.
Martin, the former chair of Minnesota’s Democratic-Farmer-Labor party, founded and led the Association of State Democratic Chairs. Martin leaned on his state party connections to win his campaign to lead the DNC, and he delivered for those state parties on Tuesday by putting forth an amendment that would give state party chairs and vice chairs a minimum of 25% of the seats on all major DNC committees.
Behind the scenes and sometimes in public view, DNC members are lobbying for their states to be one of the early primary states. For decades, Iowa was the first state in the nation to begin the process of selecting presidential nominees; under former President Joe Biden, that honor was conferred instead on South Carolina as a nod to the Black voters who helped Biden to victory in 2020.
Rules and Bylaws Committee co-chair Minyon Moore said next month states will begin the process of making their case for the early primary window.
This article was first published by Minnesota Reformer, part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Minnesota Reformer maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor J. Patrick Coolican for questions: info@minnesotareformer.com.
Washington State Standard is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Washington State Standard maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Bill Lucia for questions: info@washingtonstatestandard.com.