EXCLUSIVE: PHILADELPHIA, PA – Democratic National Committee (DNC) chair Ken Martin is optimistic that his party’s investments will yield positive results in the pivotal 2025 elections.
“I anticipate victories in the New Jersey and Virginia elections,” Martin stated in an exclusive national interview with Fox News Digital, highlighting the two states with gubernatorial races this year. “We are quite confident in our prospects.”
Democrats aim to recover from last year’s setbacks – including the loss of the White House and Senate control, and failure to regain the House majority – with strong performances in the upcoming races.
The New Jersey and Virginia contests are seen as initial indicators of President Donald Trump’s influence and as a gauge for next year’s midterm elections, where Democrats hope to reclaim control of Congress.
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The DNC has allocated over $7 million – a party high – for get-out-the-vote initiatives and organizing efforts this summer and fall in New Jersey, Virginia, and Pennsylvania, where Democrats are working to retain three state supreme court seats.
“I’ve always believed that every election is important, whether it’s an on-year or off-year, a local election or a federal election, every gain we make contributes to our overall progress,” Martin emphasized.
Martin noted that since Trump’s return to the White House in January, “there have been 45 elections on the ballot, and Democrats have consistently outperformed expectations by approximately 16 percentage points on average.” While optimistic, he added, “we’re not taking anything for granted.”
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When asked about the implications of a setback at the polls for Democrats, Martin said his focus is on “maximizing voter turnout over the remaining days to ensure our victory.”
He reiterated, “I do expect that we’ll win those elections in New Jersey and Virginia. We have excellent candidates who are running strong campaigns.”
Martin’s remarks came during a two-day campaign tour through Pennsylvania, preceding additional stops to boost voter participation in New Jersey and Virginia.
In traditionally Democratic New Jersey, polls indicate a close race between Democratic nominee Rep. Mikie Sherrill and GOP challenger Jack Ciattarelli, who is competing to succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy.
When questioned about Republicans’ optimism regarding their chances of winning the Garden State’s governorship, Martin told Politico in a recent interview that “New Jersey is potentially the best opportunity for Donald Trump to halt the Democratic momentum — or at least mitigate the Democratic momentum we’ve observed throughout this year.”
Upon being presented with these comments, Martin stated that “we anticipate a close race, and it certainly appears that it will be close.”
He also noted that “history is not on our side, considering that we haven’t elected a Democrat to a third term in the governorship in New Jersey in at least 50 years.”
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Nevertheless, he asserted that Sherrill “is running a very effective campaign with a message that resonates with New Jersey voters.”
In Virginia, recent controversy in the state’s attorney general race has complicated Democrats’ efforts to retain the governor’s seat, forcing nominee, former Rep. Abigail Spanberger, to defend against GOP criticisms. Polls had previously indicated a significant lead for Spanberger over Republican rival Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears.
The controversy revolves around Democratic attorney general nominee Jay Jones, who apologized for texts sent in 2022 comparing then-House Speaker Todd Gilbert to mass murderers Adolf Hitler and Pol Pot, stating that if given two bullets, “he would use both” on the Republican lawmaker.
Republicans have called for Jones to withdraw from the race.
“Let me be very clear, I immediately condemned those vile and indefensible comments and text messages that he made and called on him to apologize,” Martin said. “He needed to apologize to Virginians, which he did.”
When asked by Fox News Digital if he should have called for Jones to step aside, Martin responded, “That’s not my decision to make. It’s up to Virginians to decide whether his comments were disqualifying, and they will make their decision in a few days.”
Martin also described Pennsylvania’s state supreme court retention elections in Pennsylvania as “critical for our party, because we’ve observed over many years attempts by billionaire donors and special interests to buy Supreme Court seats throughout the country, and it’s an attempt to undermine our democracy.”
“The reality is, for us, this is a critical election for the National Democratic Party, because if they win here, if these billionaire donors are successful in these three Supreme Court races, they will certainly take this strategy elsewhere and try to replicate it across the country,” Martin cautioned.
The Republican National Committee (RNC), when asked to comment on Martin’s remarks, emphasized its fundraising advantage.
“Ken Martin has transformed the DNC into a debt-ridden circus run by radicals — and we sincerely hope he continues his efforts,” RNC national press secretary Kiersten Pels stated to Fox News Digital. “Regardless of the outcome next Tuesday, it won’t be due to anything Ken Martin did. The DNC is broke, desperate, and wasting its last dollars trying to salvage their position in blue states, and even then, Democrats are struggling to maintain their hold.”
