The new chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) is kicking off a multistate tour, traveling across the country to meet with state parties and support local candidates as he looks to get national party “out of D.C.”
Ken Martin will travel to states including Pennsylvania, Texas, Illinois, Wisconsin and Missouri, according to the DNC, which added that he will meet with state parties and labor leaders and campaign for candidates in local elections like Democrat Dan Goughnour, who’s running for a state House seat in Pennsylvania.
“We have to be organizing everywhere, which is, by the way, the name of this tour. We’re going to be talking with voters, with union members, with farmers, door knocking for candidates, holding listening sessions throughout those red, purple, and blue states that we’re visiting this week,” Martin said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” on Monday.
“We need to get the DNC out of D.C., out of the Beltway, reconnecting our message back with voters,” he added.
Earlier this month, Martin was elected as the chair of the national party, replacing Jaime Harrison. While campaigning for the post, Martin said that Americans had a warped perception of Democrats and what they stood for, compared to Republicans.
He, like some of his challengers for DNC chair, also said that the party needed to invest more and have a presence in each state and territory. He billed himself as someone who understood how the committee worked, as a former vice chair, and also how it didn’t work for Democrats.
While most of this year’s elections will be held in November, particularly in Virginia and New Jersey, both parties are also gearing up for several special elections, including two state legislative elections in Pennsylvania and Minnesota that will determine control of their respective state Houses.
Wisconsin will also have a special election for a spot on its state Supreme Court, which will also influence which party controls the high court.
