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Many Democratic leaders and activists have grown frustrated with the state of their national party operation, worrying that a spate of internal divisions and unflattering feuds threatens to hinder their fight against President Donald Trump's Republican Party.
The Democratic National Committee, typically the domain of nuts and bolts political activity, has been rocked by clashes that reflect broader generational and ideological strains in the party. Now, some prominent Democrats are openly questioning the direction of the DNC under the leadership of Chair Ken Martin, with some suggesting it is stifling input from dissenting voices and refusing to change in a way that is risky for future elections. Others are blaming rival factions for adding to the party's challenges by intervening in primaries and embracing personal vendettas. And many are simply fed up with all the rancor.
The criticism is still flying.
The DNC has "got to do a better of job of communicating with members and Democratic electeds and other members of our coalition," Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Michigan) said Tuesday. She added that the problem is "contributing to significant tension right now" and that Martin "needs to be pulling people together."
"There's more division than unity," said Dingell, who helps lead House Democrats' messaging.
While the task of rebuilding for 2026 and 2028 will fall to manyentities and leaders beyond the DNC, which tends to have a narrower mission, the committee's challenges highlight a party struggling to find its way after a crushing political defeat shut them out of power in Washington. Widespread anger with Trump's agenda has presented Democrats with an opportunity to regain lost ground, but they disagree on the best ways to accomplish that.
Two influential labor leaders recently left the DNC and their departures became public this week. One of them, American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten, cited disagreements with Martin and suggested the party was "not enlarging our tent."
That followed a months-long showdown between Martin and Gen Z gun control activist David Hogg over Hogg's decision to involve his political group in some Democratic primaries, including against some "out-of-touch, ineffective" House incumbents. Martin and other Democratic officials said Hogg should stay neutral as a party officer.
Facing the prospect of being ousted, Hogg opted to step down from the DNC last week, as Dingell and Weingarten praised him. "It's clear this culture of staying in power until you die or simply fail to do a good job," he said on the way out, "has become an existential threat to the future of this party."
In an interview with The Washington Post this week, Martin said others "want to create internal party drama," but that he is focused on pushing ahead with his plan to remake the committee.
"I know there is news of that these last few days. I just have to stay focused on my guiding principles and what we are trying to scale up so we can win again," he said.
A DNC spokesperson said the party's committees still include many members with union backgrounds and defended the party's communication with other groups, saying the organization has daily meetings with House and Senate leadership and campaign committees and talks frequently with the messaging committee Dingell leads. Dingell said that communication is between staff.
Many Democratic leaders defended Martin and directed their anger at his critics. "Some people want to argue," said Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio), who praised the DNC's work with her as one of the committee's associate chairs. "Chair Martin wants to win elections and that's what separates him from the creatures of DC."
But some Democrats have not been pleased with what they see.
"You really have to work hard to step in the pile of s--- that they're stepping in," said Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wisconsin), a supporter of Hogg, speaking of how the situation had become a distraction from Democrats' agenda. "Like you literally would have to go directly towards a path to step in it, in order to make this be the news coming out of the DNC."
Howard Chou, a DNC member from Colorado, complained that recent public squabbling distracted Democrats from their larger mission of calling out Trump and the Republican agenda. "We dropped the baton, we tripped and we fell," he said. While he did not blame Martin, Chou said it is incumbent on the new chairman to fix things: "You're the head coach, you're going to have to take some of it."
The concerns Hogg and Weingarten expressed have captured the attention of other Democrats, who worry the DNC is alienating some elements of the party's base.
"Randi Weingarten, Lee Saunders, and David Hogg are critical voices in our party. They want a worker centered agenda with trade schools and support for collective bargaining," said Rep. Ro Khanna (D-California). "They have called for a new generation of leaders. We need to be a big tent party that includes them."
For other Democrats, the timing of the latest party drama was especially infuriating. They were eager to seize momentum coming out of a weekend of nationwide anti-Trump protests - and focused on grieving a tragedy in Martin's home state of Minnesota. As news of the labor union departures broke this weekend, Martin - the former chair of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party - was mourning the murder of his close friend Melissa Hortman, a Minnesota lawmaker, and her husband, Mark Hortman. Authorities said the attack was politically motivated.
Martin said the weekend "just reinstills my singular focus … which is to actually help us win elections again and not to be deterred by anything else."
Other party officials are eager to move on. Plenty of DNC members cheered Hogg's exit last week, and Martin's allies pointed to a lopsided vote to redo the vice chair elections - on procedural grounds - as a sign that many members were not happy with the young activist. Martin's complaints about Hogg on a private Zoom conversation became public this month, prompting some DNC members to accuse Hogg, without evidence, of leaking it. Hogg denied it.
"Every minute we're not talking about Donald Trump overstepping his authority, and we're having to talk about David Hogg and the DNC, we're losing," said Democratic strategist Chuck Rocha. "This is just fodder to show people that the poor Democratic Party can't even govern itself."
Some DNC members complained about Weingarten and accused her - along with labor leader Lee Saunders - of adding to the drama. Weingarten and Saunders both supported a rival candidate for DNC chair this year, and Martin recently removed them from the DNC's powerful Rules and Bylaws Committee. Weingarten and Saunders later declined Martin's offers to continue as at-large members of the DNC.
Weingarten told others during the chair race that she would step down if Martin was elected, according to multiple Democrats involved in the chair race, and earlier resigned from the board of another political group, Latino Victory Fund, over its endorsement of Martin, according to two people familiar with the matter.
Saunders did not respond to a request for comment. Weingarten said in statement that she wants "the Democratic Party to work for working families."
"That's what FDR did, that's what Joe Biden did, and that's what we should expect from the party, not anonymous commentary," she said.
One DNC member, who, like others in this story, spoke on the condition of anonymity to more openly discuss the situation, fretted about the Republican National Committee's cash advantage and said the national party was not visible enough in the fight against Trump. A DNC spokesperson said Martin had raised more in his first three months than any chair in party history.
"Do all of us as Democrats, including the DNC, need to do more? Yes. No one understands that more than the Chair and his team," said Sam Cornale, a former committee CEO. "But rebuilds take time, he added, and "we should be marching in lockstep, and marching forward."
The DNC has a long history of infighting after the party loses a presidential election. In the aftermath of the 2016 election, the DNC spent months addressing accusations that it had favored Hillary Clinton over Bernie Sanders in the primary.
"Even on your own side, people play politics. And it's frustrating," said Jaime Harrison, the DNC chair who preceded Martin and voiced confidence in his leadership. "There are moments where you just want to break down and say, ‘God, it is just not worth it,' and then you step back and see it really is worth it."
Leaders across the party acknowledge that they have a brand problem and deep vulnerabilities to address. However, some are growing tired of intraparty criticism.
"I think the party does have a message. Three freakin' words … Make life better. Go repeat it," said Malcolm Kenyatta, a Pennsylvania Democrat who was elected vice chair of the DNC this year. "Let's talk about what we are, instead of constantly talking about what we're not."