Democrats are reportedly frustrated with embattled Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chair Ken Martin, who sits at the center of the Democratic Party’s rising anxiety.
Martin, who has found himself increasingly isolated as he worries about losing his job, threw a phone at a junior aide’s desk earlier this month in frustration, sparking a human resources complaint, according to a report by the New York Times.
Three sources told the newspaper that the DNC Chair had to meet with human resources (HR) as a result of the phone-tossing incident.
While accounts differed slightly on how aggressively the phone was thrown, the incident was described by half a dozen people, and there was apparently a general consensus that the phone was directed at a desk, not the aide.
Sources that spoke with the New York Times included more than two dozen Democrats, as well as current and former DNC officials and members.
Martin, who was elected to a term set to end in 2029, has reportedly been making macabre jokes about how long he will keep the job and confronted the Democratic Party’s finance director this year over what he feared was a “coup.”
“Even supporters acknowledge Martin’s growing sense of paranoia,” the Times reported.
The DNC Chair has also required assurances before meeting with the Party’s top congressional Democrats, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), that they would not call for his resignation. NDAs were introduced for top officers.
Additionally, there has been an erosion of trust in Martin over his handling of a long-promised autopsy of the 2024 election, which the DNC Chair initially refused to release, only to change course amid mounting backlash.
But the document published in May was incomplete, and reportedly featured searing DNC annotations that undermined it.
This, combined with a fumbling podcast appearance, has weakened confidence among donors and officials, and Martin has largely disappeared from national television ever since.
The DNC Chair has also publicly scolded staff over leaks.
“It pisses me off when I see leaks out of this building,” Martin said, according to four people who heard the remarks. “No more of that shit. No more.”
The sources added that Martin noted seeing “a lot of down faces” and “people hanging their heads.”
“Keep your head up. Keep a smile on your face,” the DNC Chair reportedly urged, adding, “My success is your success. So the weaker I am, the weaker all of you are.”
Sources told the New York Times that Martin has not addressed the entire staff of the Democratic Party since that encounter.
Meanwhile, the DNC is facing a severe cash shortage and is reportedly $2 million in debt — even after taking out a $15 million loan last year, with high ongoing interest and principal repayments starting in January — while the Republican National Committee (RNC) holds nearly $130 million.
Usually, the DNC transfers millions of dollars every election to sister committees tasked with winning the House and Senate, but the Democratic Party is so low on cash — despite its $15 million loan — that officials have privately informed congressional leaders there will be no traditional transfers to campaign committees this year.
The Democratic Party’s headquarters has also reportedly asked vendors not to send bills until after the midterm elections.
Moreover, there have been tensions over strategy and spending. Martin has prioritized sending more funds to state parties but has bizarrely included spending for U.S. territories that have no impact on control of Congress, causing anxiety among Democratic Party leaders.
Around $840,000 from the DNC and an affiliated fundraising committee has reportedly been sent to Guam, Puerto Rico, the Northern Marianas, the Virgin Islands, and American Samoa since the start of last year, which is far more than the spending on those territories in the past.
During Martin’s tenure as DNC Chair, the largest expense was reportedly a staggering $7.3 million spent on the remnants of former Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign list from her failed 2024 presidential bid.
“But some Democrats, both inside and outside the committee, are questioning where exactly all the money has gone,” the New York Times noted.
Alana Mastrangelo is a reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on Facebook and X at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.
