2026-07-28T15:06:27.116Z / 美国有线电视新闻网（CNN）
越来越多的民主党人呼吁肯·马丁辞去民主党全国委员会（DNC）主席职务，理由是该党背负的债务，以及2024年大选复盘报告发布时的糟糕表现，都让他无法在关键的中期选举前领导委员会。
但在委员会内部，马丁的核心支持者群体——各州民主党党主席及普通委员会成员——似乎仍坚定站在他这边。
在接受采访时，马丁的支持者表示，他们认可他的策略：提前投入更多资金用于组织建设、新技术研发以及各州民主党党部的发展，即便这意味着民主党会落后于共和党，且手头现金少于负债。
支持者们将2025年选举以及数十场特别选举中的胜利作为其策略奏效的证据，并对他在党内推行的改革表示欢迎。
“肯·马丁主席完全得到了我的百分百支持，”堪萨斯州民主党党主席让娜·里帕斯在接受CNN采访时说道，“我认为评判一位成功领导人的标准有很多，不只是筹款能力。”
他的盟友将对其领导能力的批评视为在中期选举不到100天之际试图动摇他地位的行为。
“在中期选举不足100天的时候，任何一位民主党全国委员会成员——其中大多数人都在为赢得中期选举全力以赴——都不愿陷入辞职引发的媒体闹剧和巨大干扰中，”来自加利福尼亚州的民主党全国委员会成员戴维·阿特金斯说道，“任何将民主党利益置于派系利益之上的人，都不希望看到这种情况发生。”
《纽约时报》周日报道称，马丁对丢饭碗的担忧与日俱增，他曾就一场他认为是试图推翻自己的会议与该党财务总监克里斯·科奇对峙。该报还称，马丁曾将手机摔向一名初级助理的办公桌，这一事件导致他与人力资源部门进行了会面，并且委员会已要求供应商在选举结束后再寄送发票。
一名民主党全国委员会官员拒绝就手机事件和与科奇的冲突置评。科奇告诉《纽约时报》，他与马丁之间的分歧是“家庭内部争执”，现已解决。
围绕马丁任期的担忧核心在于该党的财务状况。尽管自去年1月以来，民主党全国委员会已筹款2.07亿美元，而共和党全国委员会同期筹款2.79亿美元，但民主党在6月底仍背负200万美元债务，而共和党全国委员会手头现金达1.29亿美元。在最高法院最近一项允许政党与候选人协调筹款的裁决出台后，这一资金差距显得更为关键。
批评人士对民主党能否筹集足够资金履行承诺表示担忧，并质疑民主党全国委员会是否有能力在中期选举前的最后几个月提供财政支持。
“在这个节点，我认为马丁的主席职位已经无可挽回。他是个心地善良、意图良好的人，但完全无法应对这个关键时刻，”曾担任民主党2024年总统竞选财务主席的鲁弗斯·吉福德在近期的Substack专栏文章中写道，“作为民主党人，唯一的解决方案就是正视问题并加以解决。现在就行动。”
当被问及置评请求时，一名民主党全国委员会官员指出，该党迄今为止的筹款额超过了唐纳德·特朗普总统第一任期内同期的筹款额，且捐款超过10万美元的捐赠者人数也有所增加。
不同之处在于，民主党全国委员会花钱的速度已经赶上甚至超过了筹款速度。
去年秋天，民主党全国委员会提高了对各州党部的拨款。蓝色州每月额外获得5000美元，总拨款达到1.75万美元；红色州每月则获得1万美元额外拨款，总拨款达到2.25万美元。
尽管部分州党主席在去年的主席选举中投票反对马丁，但这项投资为他赢得了好感，尤其是在那些筹款困难、竞争力较弱的州的民主党全国委员会成员中。各州党主席及其副手约占民主党全国委员会成员总数的四分之一，如果发起罢免马丁的投票，他们将是关键的投票群体。（主席还可任命数十名无固定选区的民主党全国委员会成员，并指派人员担任关键委员会职务，这进一步复杂化了罢免他的可能尝试。）
马丁为自己的策略进行了辩护，称其将帮助民主党当下赢得选举，并为未来的选举打造可持续的运作基础。他表示，该党手头现金不足，是因为提前在组织建设、技术研发和各州党部发展上投入了资金。
“对于那些认为政党的目的就是在选举前最后几天积累尽可能多银行存款的人来说，这个答案可能不尽如人意，”马丁在近期的Substack专栏文章中写道，“但政党不是储蓄账户。它的目的是建立权力。”
批评人士认同为各州党部提供资金是值得的目标，但表示该党必须能够筹集足够资金，以长期分配这些资金并履行其他核心职责。部分人对资金的去向表示不满：在马丁任内，所有州党部都获得了额外拨款，包括毫无竞争力的红色州和美国海外领地。
“他就是在乱花钱，”民主党智库探照灯研究所负责人亚当·詹特森说道，“关键不只是筹款，还有花钱的方式，而他花钱的方式效率极低。”
马丁的盟友将部分对其主席职位的批评归咎于关于政党应如何分配资源的持续争论。这场争论的双方分别是希望将资金投入各州的州党部领导人和基层组织者，以及他们所称的顾问群体——后者希望在选举日前夕将资金用于广告投放。
美国各州民主党委员会协会主席、马丁的亲密盟友简·克莱布表示，各州党主席对人们只关注民主党全国委员会的手头现金感到沮丧，这种关注掩盖了党内改革对各州产生的影响。
“所有这些都被掩盖了，因为那帮顾问阶层就是无法接受他们支持的人没能坐上主席之位，”她说，“我们的感觉就是这样。”
去年2月，马丁凭借其担任美国各州民主党委员会协会主席期间与普通民主党全国委员会成员及各州党部领导建立的多年关系，当选主席。在去年的竞选活动中，成员们将他描述为一名资深政党操盘手，他会寄送贺卡祝贺新当选的委员，并承诺将实现民主党全国委员会的民主化与改革。
马丁的支持者和反对者都认为，他任期内最棘手的问题之一是处理民主党全国委员会复盘报告的发布事宜。
“很明显，他无法继续履职的转折点出现在复盘报告发布的混乱事件之后，当时他没能理解公众对机构的信任有多重要，”民主党候选人招募组织“参选”的创始人阿曼达·利特曼说道。
在2025年大部分时间里承诺发布报告后，马丁在去年年底表示这份文件不会公开，这引发了民主党人数月来的抗议，要求其公布报告。今年5月，在CNN获取了报告的大部分内容后，一份不完整的版本得以发布。马丁为“制造了更大的干扰”而道歉，称自己本不应推迟发布报告。
“结果就是，不发布报告是错的，发布报告也是错的，他只能在两个坏选项中选一个，”堪萨斯州党主席里帕斯说道，“但我想主席本人也会承认，他本可以用不同的方式处理这件事。”
但马丁通过投资和赋能各州党部的努力，赢得了里帕斯和其他州党部领导的支持，尤其是在红色州。里帕斯表示，凭借额外拨款，堪萨斯州民主党将能够聘请一名全年驻场组织者。
但即便马丁的盟友也意识到，在民主党寻求更全面改革的当下，他推动的改革可能显得过于狭隘。
克莱布表示，马丁领导下的民主党一直专注于内部改革，例如改变委员会任命的方式，使其更具平等性。尽管这些举措获得了那些如今在民主党全国委员会决策中拥有更大话语权的成员的支持，比如近期的2028年总统初选日程辩论，但这些改革并未在更广泛的民主党群体中引起强烈共鸣。
“这或许是一个战略失误，”克莱布说道，“我认为因为我们中的很多人都来自州党部，所以我们非常关注具体细节——这已经刻进了我们的DNA——而这也是我们的缺点。”
DNC Chair Ken Martin’s supporters dismiss concerns about the party’s debt and his leadership
2026-07-28T15:06:27.116Z / CNN
A growing number of Democrats are calling for Ken Martin to step down as head of the Democratic National Committee, arguing that the party’s debt and the bungled release of the party’s 2024 election autopsy make him unfit to lead the committee ahead of a crucial midterm.
But within the committee, Martin’s core base of supporters — state party leaders and rank-and-file members — appears to be sticking beside him.
In interviews, Martin’s supporters said they agreed with his approach to spend more money early to invest in organizing, new technology and building up state parties, even if it means the party is trailing Republicans and has more debts than cash on hand.
Supporters have pointed to the party’s wins in 2025 elections and dozens of special elections as evidence his strategy is working. And they’ve welcomed the changes he’s made to the party internally.
“Chair Ken Martin has my full support, 100%,” Jeanna Repass, chair of the Kansas Democratic Party, told CNN. “I believe that there’s so many metrics to a successful leader beyond just fundraising.”
His allies see complaints about his leadership as an effort to undermine him less than 100 days before the midterm elections.
“It would be a media circus and a massive distraction for every DNC member — most of whom have prominent places in trying to win these midterms — to deal with a resignation less than 100 days before the midterms,” said David Atkins, a DNC member from California. “No one who has the best interests of the Democratic Party above factional interests would want to see that happen.”
The New York Times reported on Sunday that Martin has become increasingly paranoid about losing his job and confronted the party’s finance director, Chris Korge, over a meeting he believed to be an effort to unseat him. The Times reported that Martin had thrown a phone at the desk of a junior aide, an incident that led to a meeting with human resources, and that the committee has asked vendors to send invoices after the election.
A DNC official declined to comment on the phone incident and the conflict with Korge. Korge told the Times the disagreement with Martin was “a family fight” that had been resolved.
At the center of the alarm over Martin’s tenure is the party’s financial situation. Though the DNC has raised $207 million since last January — compared to $279 million raised by the Republican National Committee — Democrats ended June with $2 million in debt while the RNC had $129 million in cash. That gap is even more relevant after a recent Supreme Court ruling that will allow parties and candidates to coordinate.
Critics have raised concerns about the party’s ability to raise enough money to fulfill its commitments and questioned whether the DNC will be able to help financially in the final months leading up to the midterm election.
“At this point, I think there is no saving Martin’s chairmanship. He is a good man with good intentions but simply not meeting this critical moment,” Rufus Gifford, who served as finance chair for Democrats’ 2024 presidential campaign, which ended with millions in debt, wrote in a recent Substack post. “As Democrats, the only solution is to acknowledge the problem and fix it. Now.”
Asked for comment, a DNC official noted that they’ve raised more money to date than the party did over a similar period during President Donald Trump’s first term in office and have more donors who’ve given more than $100,000.
The difference is that the party has been willing to spend the money as fast — if not faster — than it is raising it.
Last fall, the DNC increased the amount it sends state parties. Blue states began receiving an additional $5,000 a month, for a total of $17,500, and red states got a boost of $10,000 a month, for a total of $22,500.
While some state party chairs voted against Martin in last year’s chair race, the investments have garnered him goodwill, particularly among DNC members in less competitive states where parties struggle to fundraise. State party chairs and their vice chairs make up roughly a quarter of the DNC’s membership and would be a key voting bloc in the event of a vote to try and oust Martin. (The chair also selects dozens of at-large DNC members and appoints members to key committees, further complicating a potential effort to oust him.)
Martin has defended his approach, which he argues will help Democrats win now and build sustainable infrastructure for future elections. The party’s low cash on hand is a result of the party investing early in organizing, technology and state parties, he’s said.
“That answer may be unsatisfying to people who believe the purpose of a political party is to accumulate the largest possible bank balance until the final days before an election,” Martin wrote in a recent Substack post. “But a party is not a savings account. Its purpose is to build power.”
Critics agree that funding state parties is a worthwhile goal but say the party must be able to raise enough money to distribute those funds in the long term as well as fulfill its other core duties. Some have balked at where the money is going — all the state parties are receiving additional funding under Martin, including uncompetitive red states and US territories.
“He’s pissing it away,” said Adam Jentleson, the head of the Searchlight Institute, a Democratic think tank. “It’s not just about raising it, it’s how you spend it, and he’s spending it in an incredibly ineffective way.”
Martin’s allies have attributed some of the criticisms of his chairmanship to the ongoing argument over how the party should spend its resources. That debate has pitted state party leaders and grassroots organizers who want to invest in the states against those they label as consultants who want to spend the money on media buys closer to Election Day.
Jane Kleeb, the chair of the Association of State Democratic Committees and a close ally of Martin’s, said state party chairs are frustrated by the focus on the DNC’s cash on hand, which has overshadowed the impact party changes have had on their states.
“All of that is getting lost because of this kind of consulting class that just cannot get over the fact that they did not get their person in the chair seat,” she said. “That’s what it feels like to us.”
Martin won the chairmanship last February after years of building relationships with rank-and-file DNC members and state party leaders through his role as head of the Association of State Democratic Committees. During last year’s campaign, members described a longtime party operative who sent cards congratulating newly elected members and vowed to democratize and reform the DNC.
Both Martin’s supporters and detractors agree that one of the rockiest parts of his tenure was his handling of the release of the DNC’s autopsy report.
“The point where it was clear he could not continue to do this was after the autopsy release mess, when he failed to understand how important it is that people trust the institution,” said Amanda Litman, the founder of the Democratic candidate recruitment group Run for Something.
After spending much of 2025 vowing to release it, Martin said late last year that the document wouldn’t come out, prompting months of complaints from Democrats demanding its publication. An incomplete version of the document was released in May after CNN obtained much of its contents. Martin apologized for “creating an even bigger distraction” by not releasing it.
“It just turned out that not releasing it was bad, releasing it was bad, and he was choosing between bad and worse,” said Repass, the Kansas chair. “But I think the chair himself would tell you he would have done that differently.”
But Martin has won over Repass and other state party leaders — particularly in red states — with his efforts to invest in and empower state parties. Repass said Kansas Democrats would be able to hire a year-round organizer with the additional funds.
But even Martin’s allies are aware that his reform push can read as insular at a time when Democrats are looking for more sweeping changes.
Kleeb said that the party under Martin has been focused on internal reforms that have, for example, changed the way committee assignments are made to make it more egalitarian. While those moves have curried favor with members who now have a greater say in DNC decisions like the recent 2028 presidential primary calendar debate, they don’t resonate as deeply with the broader Democratic Party.
“Maybe that’s a strategic mistake that’s been made,” Kleeb said. “I think because so many of us come from state parties, we are so nuts and bolts focused — that is in our DNA — and that’s a fault of ours.”