Ken Martin is now a convenient scapegoat. As chair of the Democratic National Committee, he has stumbled into disrepute as a dubious fundraiser and bad-tempered boss who bungled an autopsy report on the 2024 election disaster. Much of the criticism is justified. But Martin is just a symptom of what deeply ails a party that does not live up to its name.

As the Democratic party’s governing body, the Democratic National Committee has long operated as a fortress for party elites who expect to get their way. Martin seemed to offer a bit of a departure when, as Minnesota party chair, he won the committee leadership election last year in part because of his close ties with other state party chairs. They remain among his strongest supporters. That’s one reason why Martin is very well-positioned to fend off any challenge to his hold on power when the full committee meets next week in Austin.

But a more basic dynamic protecting Martin is the committee’s internal culture of conformity. Most of its 450 members would not dream of publicly challenging the chair, despite the recent torrent of bad press.

News media have hammered on the fact that the DNC is $2.2m in debt while the Republican National Committee reports $128m in cash on hand. Yet depictions of the DNC’s financial woes have given short shrift to some relevant factors. For instance, after Kamala Harris spent $1.5bn during her short presidential campaign in 2024, the DNC took on about $22m in debts that she left behind.

Martin has fulfilled his promise to send more money to state parties. In April 2025, the DNC announced: “Each state party will receive a........

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