Sitting at a Salt Lake City restaurant on Tuesday, Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin said he came to the state because he believes it will one day be blue — despite his party’s struggle to win any statewide elections in Utah in recent years.
But Martin told the Deseret News he believes the national party can move the needle by investing in red states like Utah.
A Minnesota native, Martin put it in hockey terms with a famous line from NHL Hall-of-Famer Wayne Gretzky: “You have to skate to where the puck will be, not where the puck is.”
“That’s what we’re trying to do with this new DNC, is to both win the moment right now but also win the future,” Martin said.
Investments in Utah and Martin’s ‘New DNC’
Martin, who was elected chairman of the DNC in February, faces an uphill battle convincing voters to join the Democratic Party’s cause.
The party is experiencing historically low approval ratings nationally as it picks up the pieces of its 2024 election losses. Success for the party in Utah has been largely at a standstill.
Martin, however, believes that can change.
Under the DNC’s new State Partnership Program, the Utah Democratic Party, along with state parties in other red states, will receive $22,500 a month from the DNC.
“We know that with the investment of time, energy and money, a red state can become a purple state and then eventually a blue state,” he said, later adding, “It’s not for charity’s sake, just to give money to the state party, it’s actually to help build the infrastructure we need to actually win elections and meet the moment.”
Martin highlighted Utah’s fast-growing population as a key reason for the DNC’s investment.
It’s likely that under the 2030 Census count, the state will receive another congressional district. According to population estimates and a prediction from the Brennan Center for Justice, Utah would be one of just a handful of states to gain a new House seat.
News organizations like The Associated Press have pointed out that shifting demographics could mean trouble for the Democrats, as population in blue states like California and Illinois shrink, while red states like Texas and Utah are growing.
While Utah’s delegation in Washington is currently entirely Republican, Martin believes that can change, with effort.
“It doesn’t happen organically. You have to make some investments, you have to actually see a little bit of the future and be willing to take some risks,” Martin said.
Democrats’ struggle to reach religious voters
Martin admitted that his party has struggled with how to reach voters on issues of religion and faith. While Democrats tend to “shy away” from those topics, they should instead embrace them, he said.
“I think that our party has always stood up for those who are the least amongst us, who have the least … I think that a lot of churches also believe that, right?” Martin said. “We need to create social safety nets so people and communities aren’t falling through the cracks.”
Martin, who is Catholic, said his faith is important to him and a “big reason” why he has dedicated his life to public service.
Martin previously served as the chair of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party and later as the president of the Association of State Democratic Committees and was a vice chair at the DNC.
He said his faith informs how he aims to protect people who may be left behind by societal systems.
“I feel like the Democratic Party, we try to be inclusive of so many people, sometimes we shy away from conversations about faith and religion because we don’t want to alienate people and push them out of the conversation,” he said. “But I think, in a way, when we do that, we’re actually just doing that. We’re pushing people out who want to hear us talk about our faith and our religion and why we believe in the things we do.”
The DNC’s internal battle and making up lost ground
Religious messaging isn’t the only communication struggle facing the DNC. As the party attempts to rebuild, Martin acknowledged that the party needs to focus on how to reach voters.
In the recent election cycle Republicans found voters through new platforms like podcasts, videos and sports, while Democrats were focused on news, information and political spaces, Martin said, mentioning the popularity of conservatives like Charlie Kirk.
Democrats lost among younger, Gen Z men in the last cycle and it’s become a case study for the DNC to examine “not just generationally, but within generations, where people are getting their information,” he said.
“I reject this idea that young people are apathetic or they don’t care at all, that’s just completely false. They care deeply, but they don’t find a lot of hope in government or politics. They don’t think it’s going to make the type of change and it moves too slow, but they care deeply about the issues,” Martin said.
The Democratic Party should emphasize issues rather than candidates, he said, and meet voters where they are, whether it be on TikTok, through traditional media or elsewhere.
“Really thinking this through the right way and then making sure that we are using those various platforms and mediums to get our information out the right way, in a very nuanced way, understanding the cultural differences, understanding the demographic differences, understanding the platforms and the mediums and how you communicate those differences,” Martin said.
“So, it’s complicated, for sure,” he later added. “We have a lot to learn still, and we’re going to do that.”
While Martin expresses confidence in his plan to invest in states like Utah, division remains within party leadership about how best to move forward.
DNC Vice Chair David Hogg sparked an uproar recently after announcing a $20 million plan to primary older Democratic incumbents running for reelection. He argued that making the party younger and more progressive would help Democrats win elections.
In response, Martin issued a lengthy message earlier this month calling for neutrality in primaries and disagreeing with Hogg’s position. It’s “not democracy” and “not our party,” Martin said.
In his thread online and in his interview with the Deseret News on Tuesday, Martin emphasized his view that the party will win “through addition, not through subtraction.” He called for everyone to receive a “fair and equal voice” within the party, no matter a candidate’s age, incumbent status, congressional district location or views.
Still, Martin acknowledged that under the Democratic Party’s attempts to be inclusive and a “big tent party,” it will come with varying opinions — like Hogg’s — on how best to meet the current moment.
That tent is composed of conservative Democrats, centrist Democrats, progressives and leftist Democrats, who, Martin said, have “healthy tension” about where the party should head.
“We want everyone inside of this party, and while sometimes it leads to debate and friction, democracy is messy, right?” he said.
“We have a lot of different ideas. We have a lot of dissent. We have a lot of debates in our party and that’s a healthy thing because it helps us move forward,” Martin added.