New Hampshire Democratic Party Chairman Ray Buckley is backing his Minnesota counterpart, Ken Martin, in the high-stakes race for chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) — the same body that stripped Granite State Democrats of their First in the Nation presidential primary status.
So, where does Martin stand on bringing the FITN primary back to New Hampshire in 2028?
Early indications aren’t good.
Ken Martin, chair of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party.
The five-term chairman of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party, who also currently serves as Democratic National Committee vice chairman, is a member of a DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee that in 2022 endorsed moving South Carolina’s primary to the front of the line, ahead of the Granite State.
And nowhere in Buckley’s statement praising Martin is there any acknowledgment of New Hampshire’s presidential primary concerns.
Buckley, whose party was thumped by New Hampshire Republicans in November as the GOP added to majorities in the state House and Senate and retained control of the governor’s office, instead focused on Martin’s Minnesota electoral performance.
“Close elections are a hallmark of New Hampshire politics, and we know that having a DNC chair with a consistent track record of winning competitive elections in purple states is critical for our party’s long-term success,” Buckley said. “Ken’s 25-0 statewide victory record is unmatched in this race, and we can’t wait to work with him to deliver victories for Democrats in New Hampshire and across the nation.”
In July 2022, when President Joe Biden and the DNC were making it clear that a shakeup in early presidential primary dates was being considered, Martin lobbied for Minnesota to land the coveted FITN status. When the Biden-backed DNC calendar came up for a vote, Martin joined the majority to strip New Hampshire of its slot.
Although he’s never formally ruled out New Hampshire from returning to the top of the primary pack, Martin toes the party line when it comes to diversity, equity, and inclusion — the mindset that ultimately convinced the DNC to place the more racially diverse Palmetto State at the front of the line.
During the July 8, 2022, DNC Rules Committee meeting regarding the primary calendar, Martin emphasized diversity.
“We need to not just consider racial and ethnic diversity, but rural and urban-suburban diversity, labor, union households, working people as was mentioned, sexual orientation and gender identity,” he said. “We need to reflect on diversity in terms of how broad the participation is we’re seeing from communities in those states, both as it relates to voting and active participation in the party and their ability to be elected to leadership positions.”
Martin continued:
“Again, we can talk about being from diverse states, but if there’s no inclusion, and there’s no access to people in marginalized communities to actually participate, then what does it really mean? I think when we think about diversity, it has to be broader than how we’re thinking about it, and it has to be through the lens of whether or not those states are actually creating pipelines to active participation in our democracy.”
On Friday, Martin was endorsed by failed Democrat vice presidential nominee Gov. Tim Walz (D-Minn.), who is also backing leftwing anti-gun activist David Hogg.
New Hampshire GOP state chairman Chris Ager told NHJournal he isn’t surprised by the news.
“Democrats in New Hampshire don’t represent our Granite State interests. That’s why they lose state elections.”
Gov. Tim Walz (D-Minn) and David Hogg.
Despite the Democratic Party’s talk about diversity, critics have noted that the frontrunners currently in the mix to lead the DNC ahead of the party’s vote next month are all White men: former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, Wisconsin Democratic Party Chair Ben Wikler, and Martin.
Martin’s record as Minnesota chairman stands in stark contrast to Buckley’s.
Since 2011, Democrats under Martin have never lost a statewide race.
New Hampshire Democrats under Buckley, however, have lost the governor’s race in five straight cycles, control of the state legislature in four out of five, and both chambers in Concord in 2020 despite Biden claiming the Granite State by nearly eight points.
The new chairman will be picked by a handful of 448 party insiders at their winter meeting in Maryland on February 1.
NHJournal has reached out to Buckley and the New Hampshire Democratic Party for comment.
