The Minnesota Democratic Party chair’s willingness to bring Israel critics into the Democratic fold is part of a delicate balancing act between factions

Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images for One Fair Wage
Ken Martin, DNC Chair Candidate, speaks at the "Win With Workers" Rally and Press Conference at the DNC Midwestern Candidate Forum on January 16, 2025 in Detroit, Michigan.
As Ken Martin has emerged as the favored candidate to lead the Democratic National Committee, the longtime Minnesota state party chairman has won backing from a wide range of activists, including critics of Israel and steadfast defenders of the Jewish state — in a coalition his supporters say demonstrates a proven ability to navigate growing internal divisions over Middle East policy that roiled the presidential election.
Martin, 51, has frequently been at the center of ongoing tensions over Israel after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks, which fueled protests at the state party convention last year. In Minnesota — where the party’s far-left faction is sizable and outspoken — Martin has forged a delicate balance in handling platform debates on key Middle East issues, while largely resisting anti-Israel demands, according to several Jewish community activists who expressed satisfaction with his leadership.
At the same time, he has also won positive reviews from the Uncommitted movement, a campaign launched during the 2024 Democratic primary protesting the Biden administration’s record on Israel, and other party activists who have favored inviting Israel critics into the Democratic fold, which Martin has called a “big tent” capable of accommodating disagreements on hot-button issues such as the Middle East.
But even as he has managed to collect goodwill from a broad portion of his base in Minnesota and beyond, some skeptics have raised concerns that his ecumenical approach to party infighting could prove untenable at the national level, especially regarding seemingly intractable debates over Israel that have continued to sow division.
His perspective is hardly unique in the DNC chair race, where the top contenders have all embraced a “big-tent” philosophy — including Ben Wikler, the Wisconsin state party leader, and Martin O’Malley, the former governor of Maryland. But as Martin has claimed support from a near-decisive share of party members before the Feb. 1 election, he has yet to definitively clarify how he would negotiate some of the thorniest Middle East policy issues that remain unsettled as Democrats look ahead to future races.
During his tenure as state party chair, a position he has held since 2011, Martin has spoken out against antisemitism and occasionally enforced red lines in debates over Israel, which he visited in 2022. Days after Oct. 7, 2023, for instance, he strongly condemned a local branch of the Democratic Socialists of America for releasing what he called a “garbage antisemitic statement.”
“‘From the river to the sea’ is a chant used by extremists to support the destruction of Israel,” Martin said in a social media post denouncing the language used by the organization. “It is appalling to embrace this rhetoric in this statement, which also doesn’t even acknowledge the slaughter of Israeli & American civilians. This is disgusting.”
“He’s been in the trenches,” Manny Houle, a pro-Israel strategist who has known Martin for years, said in an interview with Jewish Insider. “On the harder issues that we’ve seen plague Democrats this election cycle, Ken has much more of a kind of broad scope of the issues that the party is facing.”
Meanwhile, at the state party convention last year, many Jewish leaders credited him with preserving pro-Israel resolutions amid a heated platform debate that resulted in just one capitulation, striking an amended line that described “denial of the right of the state of Israel to exist” as a form of antisemitism, which was viewed by Jewish advocates as a major loss.
Martin has also rebuked a pro-Israel state senator, Ron Latz, who shortly after the Hamas attacks faced backlash for claiming that “Palestinian youth dream of the opportunity” to kill “as many Jews as possible.” In a statement that did not directly name Latz but was released amid the controversy over his comments, Martin said “inflammatory rhetoric from elected officials is counterproductive to addressing rising Islamophobia and antisemitism,” and called on the party to “set a better example.”
“He’s been in the trenches,” Manny Houle, a pro-Israel strategist who has known Martin for years, said in an interview with Jewish Insider. “On the harder issues that we’ve seen plague Democrats this election cycle, Ken has much more of a kind of broad scope of the issues that the party is facing.”
Owing to his support for Israel, however, some Jewish party activists said they were thrown by his comments last month at a DNC candidate forum hosted by Young Democrats of America — when he said he believed that a member of the Uncommitted movement, who had faced scrutiny over anti-Israel commentary, “should have been allowed to speak at the [DNC] convention.”
The Democratic Party “should not be afraid of debate or dissent,” Martin argued, noting that his state boasted “the largest Uncommitted caucus” in the country. “That’s what we do in Minnesota,” he told the audience of young activists, some of whom applauded his remarks. “In our party, we have a process that empowers people to organize around issues and not be afraid to stand up for what they believe in, because they will be heard and their voice will matter.”
“I think the issue that he still has in Minnesota and nationally — if he gets elected as the chair — is how do you keep these factions together that seem to be drifting apart on this issue and on the fundamentals of why did we lose the election?” a pro-Israel party organizer in Minneapolis told JI. “That question sort of still has not been decided, and I haven’t really heard anything from Ken in his platform about that.”
One pro-Israel member of Young Democrats of America, who has worked with Martin and views him favorably, said he was “surprised” by Martin’s endorsement of Uncommitted, which advocated for an arms embargo on Israel. “On the one hand, DFL is a big tent,” the party activist reasoned to JI, referring to Minnesota’s Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party. “We still have pro-gun elected Dems, so it fits in with his philosophy in general.”
“On the other hand,” the pro-Israel activist added, speaking anonymously to address the sensitive issue, a national convention held just after former Vice President Kamala Harris had replaced Biden at the top of the Democratic ticket “is not exactly the place for this.”
Though Wikler has also said that the party made a strategic error in refusing to allow a representative of Uncommitted to give remarks at the convention last summer in Chicago, O’Malley, for his part, has criticized that conclusion, arguing he did not feel it was an appropriate venue for the movement to air its disagreements.
Another pro-Israel party organizer in Minneapolis, who also requested anonymity to speak candidly on the DNC race, said that he had interpreted Martin’s comments as “pandering” to a younger crowd as he seeks to shore up support from the activist left. “It’s not necessarily consistent with what he says to other people in different spaces.”
“I think the issue that he still has in Minnesota and nationally — if he gets elected as the chair — is how do you keep these factions together that seem to be drifting apart on this issue and on the fundamentals of why did we lose the election?” the organizer told JI. “That question sort of still has not been decided, and I haven’t really heard anything from Ken in his platform about that.”
In a statement shared with JI on Wednesday, Martin said the Democratic Party “must always stand against hatred, including antisemitism, and we must call out and fight hatred wherever and whenever we encounter it — no exceptions.”
“I have done that during my time as chair of the Minnesota DFL,” he said, “balancing the right to free expression, and the right to participate in the political process, with what is right. And I will continue to do the same as chair of the DNC. The Democratic Party should also not be afraid of debate and dissent — that is the hallmark of who we are. A good party chair’s job is to find consensus and unity across the big tent of the party. Moving forward, we need to listen and make sure that all voices are being heard.”
Regarding the war between Israel and Hamas, he lamented the “pain” and “destruction” wrought by the conflict, while voicing “hope that the cease-fire and hostage-release agreement secured in the final days of the Biden administration will remain in place.”
“He will not treat criticism of Israel as invalid per se,” Doug Rossinow, a history professor at Metro State University in St. Paul, Minn., explained in an email to JI, noting that Martin “will try to enforce norms that account for the fears, anxieties and anger that this conflict excites — but his aim in doing so will be to make room for both Israel and Palestine advocates in a big tent.”
“With his comments after being sworn in,” Martin added, “many are now concerned whether President Trump will increase the likelihood of the agreement falling apart — we need to work to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
Doug Rossinow, a history professor at Metro State University in St. Paul, Minn., who has written about divisions over Israel within the state party, said that Martin has established a reputation as a “unifier in Minnesota,” making “advocates for both Israel and Palestine in the Democratic Party here feel they’ve been treated fairly and protected against abusive behavior.”
“He will not treat criticism of Israel as invalid per se,” Rossinow explained in an email to JI, noting that Martin “will try to enforce norms that account for the fears, anxieties and anger that this conflict excites — but his aim in doing so will be to make room for both Israel and Palestine advocates in a big tent.”
If Martin “gets the job” that he’s now running for, Rossinow added, “we’ll see how well a Minnesota model can work at the DNC.”
Jacob Frey, the mayor of Minneapolis and a Jewish Democrat who is backing Martin, said that the state party chair has “built out the necessary coalitions” and “understands the direction that we need to go as a party.”
“He has had the guts, has had the courage, to tell people on both sides what they don’t necessarily want to hear, but it’s the truth, and that’s the kind of leader we need right now,” Frey told JI in a recent interview. “I think he’s the right person for the job.”
Still, some grassroots Jewish activists in the state have voiced dissatisfaction with Martin’s handling of Middle East policy conflicts. One pro-Israel party organizer in Minneapolis, who requested anonymity to speak candidly, claimed Martin has “ceded space” to anti-Israel voices who “dominate party positions and elected offices in the city,” while elevating Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), one of the fiercest critics of Israel in the House, during her primary last cycle.
“There is no indication that Ken Martin shares their views,” the organizer acknowledged to JI. “He does occasionally go after them on social media. But he has not deployed any of the leadership tools at his disposal to curtail their influence within the party.”
But other Jewish community members recognize that Martin’s role may include backing candidates like Omar because he is a “party man,” according to a Democratic operative in Minneapolis who believes Martin “has been on the right side of” the divide and has “taken actions to defuse” tensions relating to Israel.
Martin has been “a supporter of the U.S.-Israel relationship” and “understands the importance of the U.S.-Israel alliance,” Beth Kieffer Leonard, a Jewish communal leader in Minneapolis, told JI in an email. “Any suggestion to the contrary is not only misinformed, it contradicts my experience working with Ken.”
He also has a personal connection to the Jewish community his supporters frequently cite: Martin’s mother was Jewish, though he was raised Catholic, a spokesperson for his campaign confirmed to JI.
Steve Hunegs, the executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas, said that Martin “has been accessible and sympathetic to our concerns,” voicing appreciation for his meeting with Jewish Democrats in the state to discuss their “dismay about the persistence of antisemitism within certain elements of the DFL.”
“Should the DNC elect Ken as its chair,” Hunegs told JI in a statement, “we strongly encourage him to publicly stand against antisemitism — especially when the hate and vitriol comes from the members and leaders within the Democratic Party.”
In addition to pro-Israel Democrats, Martin has also gained support from activists who are eager to push the party away from a traditional Middle East policy platform. A member of Uncommitted who served as a delegate to the DNC said Martin “would be a good fit,” telling Minnesota Public Radio in December he was “certainly fair” to the movement.
James Skoufis, a New York state senator who recently withdrew from the DNC chair race and backed Martin, has argued in favor of engaging anti-Israel voices in party discussions rather than shunning them — a practice he views as consistent with the big-tent approach espoused by the current field of leading candidates.
“Ken knows how important it is to stand against antisemitism, and he has been able to do that while holding our big tent together,” Skoufis said in a text message to JI. “We need to meaningfully engage stakeholders on difficult issues like the conflict in Gaza and better demonstrate empathy, respect and understanding for diverse viewpoints. That’s what a good leader does and that’s what Ken will do.”
Martin has also won backing from James Zogby, a pro-Palestinian activist who supports conditioning aid to Israel. Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute, is now running for vice chair of the DNC.
The DNC chair race features several long-shot candidates including Marianne Williamson, the former presidential candidate; Faiz Shakir, a former campaign manager for Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT); and Nate Snyder, a former Homeland Security official. Jaime Harrison, the current chair, is not seeking reelection.
Marc Broklawski, a vice chair of the Virginia Democratic Party, told JI on Thursday that Martin “understands that supporting Israel’s security and advancing justice aren’t at odds — they’re deeply connected.”
“For Jews like me, it’s clear,” he said. “Ken’s integrity, empathy and ability to unite diverse voices make him uniquely equipped to lead our party forward without leaving anyone behind.”