TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Delegates of the Florida Democratic Party pledged their support on Friday behind Minnesota's Ken Martin and Wisconsin's Ben Wikler for Democratic National Committee Chair.
“The future of the Democratic Party starts with investing in the South. As Florida’s population changes, our political significance will evolve and with more electoral college votes on the horizon, now is the time to start investing and organizing in our people," Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried said.
"We need a new, Democratic strategy for the South that harnesses the collective power of our constituencies. A message that works in the South, will work across the country and we need our new Chair to understand that — and act on it," Fried added.
Ken Martin, 51, is the chair of Minnesota's Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party. Other Florida DNC delegates supporting Martin include state Sen. Shevrin Jones, Judy Mount, Pamela Castellana, Alan Clendenin, Ric Gable, and Lydia Hudson.
Ben Wikler, 43, is chair of the Wisconsin Democratic Party. Wikler has received support from Daniel Henry, Juan Cuba, Karla Hernàndez-Mats, Millie Herrera, Samuel Vilchez Santiago, Samantha Hope-Herring, and Allision Minnerly.
Other candidates in the race include former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley. O'Malley has earned support from Sean Shaw.
Party committee leaders will meet Saturday to replace outgoing Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison. The 48-year-old former South Carolina Democratic Party leader has served as DNC chairman since January 2021 under former President Joe Biden.
The new Chair will look to revitalize a Democratic Party that gave up Senate and Executive control to President Trump after the 2024 general election. Republicans also maintained control of the House of Representatives, albeit by a slim margin.
Democrats also took tough losses in Florida, which has trended bright red in recent years.
Notably, Fried was re-elected as chair of the Florida Democratic Party last Saturday. The 47-year-old received 78% support on the first ballot over state Sen. Audrey Gibson of Jacksonville.
As chair, Fried oversaw heavy losses in the November election, including from President Donald Trump. Trump defeated Vice President Kamala Harris by 13 points and won 61 of Florida's 67 counties, including Miami-Dade.
Republicans also expanded their supermajority in the House heading into 2025.
According to the Florida Division of Elections, Republicans outnumber Democrats by over 1.1 million registered voters. Just five years ago, Democrats held a slight advantage over Republicans in the state.
