{"id":3330,"date":"2026-07-28T21:08:17","date_gmt":"2026-07-28T21:08:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/trustedmovinggroups.com\/?p=3330"},"modified":"2026-07-28T21:08:17","modified_gmt":"2026-07-28T21:08:17","slug":"how-ken-martin-is-holding-on-as-dnc-chair-for-now-from-the-politics-desk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/trustedmovinggroups.com\/?p=3330","title":{"rendered":"How Ken Martin is holding on as DNC chair \u2014 for now: From the Politics Desk"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Welcome to <\/em>From the Politics Desk<\/em>, a daily newsletter that brings you the NBC News Politics team\u2019s latest reporting and analysis from the White House, Capitol Hill and the campaign trail.<\/em><\/p>\n

Read more Homeownership is losing its edge as America\u2019s most reliable wealth builder<\/a><\/p>\n

In today\u2019s edition, Natasha Korecki digs into Ken Martin\u2019s woes at the Democratic National Committee. Plus, Scott Wong and Frank Thorp V file a report from Sen. Lindsey Graham\u2019s funeral in Washington. <\/em><\/p>\n

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Sign up to receive this newsletter in your inbox every weekday here.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u2014 Adam Wollner<\/em><\/p>\n

How Ken Martin is holding on as DNC chair \u2014 for now<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Analysis by Natasha Korecki<\/h3>\n

Calls for Ken Martin<\/strong> to be replaced as Democratic National Committee chair are intensifying in certain corners of the party \u2014 except from the people who have the final say. <\/p>\n

Since Martin won the chairmanship a year ago, he\u2019s been enmeshed in a new firestorm seemingly every few months, from lagging fundraising to flip-flopping on the party\u2019s autopsy of the 2024 election.<\/p>\n

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Over the weekend, the latest raft of negative news accounts surfaced, including a report from The New York Times that Martin threw a phone at an aide\u2019s desk. <\/p>\n

The resulting cycle was predictable: the consultant class erupted into a tizzy. They called for his resignation and even fought over who should replace him. This week, veteran Democratic strategist James Carville<\/strong> went as far as to suggest that David Hogg<\/strong> \u2014 the ousted DNC vice chair whom Carville last year labeled a \u201ccontemptible little twerp\u201d \u2014 take the reins of the national party committee. <\/p>\n

But as was the case in past episodes, that\u2019s as far as it has gone. Martin is again digging in, his allies are circling the wagons and powerful Democrats are either standing by his side or staying out of it. On Sunday, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries<\/strong> said Martin \u201chas my full support.\u201d Potential 2028 presidential candidates could also apply pressure, but none has called for his ouster. <\/p>\n

That leaves the DNC members themselves holding the most consequential power over Martin\u2019s future. It would take a majority of DNC members to remove a national chair, according to committee rules. But even as they prepare to convene in Austin next month, some of Martin\u2019s biggest detractors tell us there\u2019s no groundswell to remove him \u2014 though some acknowledge they\u2019re exploring their options, including a potential no-confidence vote. <\/p>\n

Michael Ceraso<\/strong>, a Democratic strategist who works with numerous DNC members and state party chairs, said he\u2019s not seeing immediate evidence of a call for change from within. <\/p>\n

\u201cBased on my conversations that I had with chairs and DNC leaders, there\u2019s no indication whatsoever that there is some mass mobilization to oust Ken,\u201d Ceraso said. <\/p>\n

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But that may not hold. For party leaders, there\u2019s little incentive to shake things up now, with the midterm elections just a few months away. Post-November may be a different story. <\/p>\n

\u201cAll of that happens after the midterms,\u201d said one DNC official who wasn\u2019t authorized to speak on the record. While that person was rooting for Martin to \u201cpull it together,\u201d they added, \u201cI wouldn\u2019t be shocked if it were an end-of-the-year thing. Unless something truly horrific comes out, I don\u2019t think a change happens before the midterms.\u201d <\/p>\n

Read more Apalachee High School shooter Colt Gray sentenced to life without parole<\/a><\/p>\n

Washington says goodbye to Sen. Lindsey Graham, a \u2018true American original\u2019<\/h2>\n

By Scott Wong and Frank Thorp V<\/h3>\n

President Donald Trump<\/strong>, congressional colleagues and world leaders said their final goodbyes to Sen. Lindsey Graham<\/strong>, the influential and colorful foreign policy hawk whose sudden death this month at age 71 stunned Washington and reverberated in capitals around the globe.<\/p>\n

Eulogizing Graham at his funeral service at the Washington National Cathedral, Trump called him \u201ca respected statesman, a giant of the United States Senate, and a true American original who left us much too soon.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLindsey rose from a small town in rural South Carolina, a place he loved so much, to become a constant fixture of American politics at the highest level, and a force to be reckoned with all over the world,\u201d Trump told those gathered. \u201cFor more than 30 years, nothing of consequence happened in this capital without Lindsey Graham knowing about it. Nothing of significance happened anywhere in the world without Lindsey Graham having a view on it, and no bill became law in the most exceptional republic in human history without Lindsey Graham having a say in it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Graham had been a vocal critic of Trump\u2019s when the two men ran against each other in the 2016 presidential race. But Graham became one of the president\u2019s closest and most trusted allies on Capitol Hill and a frequent golf partner.<\/p>\n

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Senate colleagues, past and present, Cabinet members and Graham\u2019s family and staffers packed the Capitol rotunda. Among those paying tribute were former Sens. Bob Corker<\/strong> and Lamar Alexander<\/strong>, both Tennessee Republicans; Rob Portman<\/strong>, R-Ohio; Richard Burr<\/strong>, R-N.C.; Jeff Flake<\/strong>, R-Ariz.; Pat Toomey<\/strong>, R-Pa.; and Kelly Ayotte<\/strong>, now New Hampshire\u2019s GOP governor.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s such a loss in terms of his voice on foreign policy and America\u2019s role in the world,\u201d Ayotte, who traveled regularly with Graham on Senate trips around the world, told NBC News, adding: \u201cHe loved life, he had so much fun, and no one could make you laugh more than Lindsey Graham.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more \u2192<\/strong><\/p>\n

\ud83e\udd1d High-stakes meetings:<\/strong> Prior to Graham\u2019s funeral, Trump held separate meetings at the White House with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu<\/strong> and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy<\/strong>, Monica Alba, Megan Brand and Dareh Gregorian report. Trump\u2019s meeting with Netanyahu was their first in-person encounter since the Iran war began five months ago. <\/p>\n

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\ud83d\uddde\ufe0f Today’s other top stories<\/h2>\n