The Left is botching the midterms. And it’s almost too late for them.
Because a top Democratic fundraiser sounded the alarm on a DNC meltdown.
A longtime Democratic fundraiser and former senior party official is calling for Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin to be removed, warning that the organization is “spiraling towards irrelevance” under his leadership just months ahead of the midterms.
Democratic Fundraising Veteran Delivers Scathing Assessment
Rufus Gifford made the case in a Monday Substack post titled The Democratic National Committee Is Worth Saving, blaming Martin for the party’s fundraising and messaging struggles over the past year.
“For the last year I have been banging my head against the wall,” Gifford wrote.
Gifford previously served as the DNC’s national finance director, U.S. chief of protocol, deputy campaign manager for former President Joe Biden and U.S. ambassador to Denmark, giving his critique added weight within Democratic circles.
“Today the DNC is spiraling towards irrelevance,” Gifford said. “I had no horse in the race for DNC chair last year, I like Ken Martin, I like Ben Wikler but I had very much hoped that a marquee name with national relevance and relationships would take the reigns of a party that was floundering.”
Gifford argued that the DNC has two principal responsibilities heading into a midterm election: raising money and promoting the party’s message, saying the two functions are closely connected because effective media appearances energize donors and attract financial support.
“You gotta be the kind of person who can go on Morning Joe or The Daily Show or Rachel Maddow or Bulwark or Pod Save or Joe Rogan or Fox EVERY SINGLE TIME they would book you to talk about what you are building and hammer relentlessly your opponents,” Gifford wrote.
Fundraiser Says There’s “No Saving” Martin’s Leadership
Gifford recounted a recent meeting with a major DNC supporter who claimed he had received no communication from the organization, saying he found the complaint credible because he had similarly received no outreach from Martin.
“At this point, I think there is no saving Martin’s chairmanship,” Gifford wrote. “He is a good man with good intentions but simply not meeting this critical moment.”
“As Democrats, the only solution is to acknowledge the problem and fix it. Now,” he added.
Martin has faced mounting criticism during his tenure as DNC chair. Former DNC Vice Chair David Hogg was ousted after announcing plans to spend millions of dollars supporting primary challenges against incumbent Democrats, and the DNC later voided the election that elevated Hogg to the position, citing a procedural challenge involving the party’s gender-balance rules.
During his dispute with Hogg, Martin reportedly complained that the controversy had undermined his efforts to establish credibility and raise money for the party.
“No one knows who the h*ll I am, right? I’m trying to get my sea legs underneath of me and actually develop any amount of credibility so I can go out there and raise the money and do the job I need to to put ourselves in a position to win,” Martin reportedly told Hogg. “And, again, I don’t think you intended this, but you essentially destroyed any chance I have to show the leadership that I need to. So it’s really frustrating.”
Party Finances Show Stark Contrast With Republicans
Gifford previously reposted a Political Polls chart comparing the two parties’ finances as of May 31, which showed the Republican National Committee with $125 million in cash on hand while listing the DNC at negative $3 million.
“If Democrats don’t see this as a certifiable 10 alarm fire then we don’t deserve to win,” Gifford said. “There must must must be changes made.”
