OXON HILL, Md. >> Democrats on Saturday elected Ken Martin, the party leader in Minnesota, as the national chair, turning to a low-profile Midwestern political operative to coordinate their resistance to Donald Trump’s presidency.

Martin succeeds Jaime Harrison of South Carolina atop the Democratic National Committee. Harrison did not seek another term after the 2024 election when Trump became the first Republican to win the popular vote in two decades and made modest gains with core Democratic constituencies — African Americans, Latinos and working-class voters, among them.

“We got punched in the mouth in November,” Martin, 51, said Saturday. “It’s time to get off the mat, dust ourselves off and get back in this fight.”

He is now one of the most important players in the Democratic Party’s comeback attempt as Trump pushes the limits of presidential power.

The vote played out in suburban Washington as more than 400 DNC members from every state and U.S. territory gathered for the party’s winter meeting.

Martin and the other leading contender, Wisconsin party chair Ben Wikler, promised to refocus the Democratic message on working-class voters, strengthen Democratic infrastructure across the country and improve the party’s anti-Trump rapid response system.

They pledged not to shy away from Democrats’ dedication to diversity and minority groups, a pillar of the modern-day party. Martin is the first white man to lead the DNC since 2011.

Also in the race were Martin O’Malley, a former Maryland governor and Biden administration official, and Faiz Shakir, who managed Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’ last presidential campaign.

Candidate Marianne Williamson, an activist and author, surprised DNC members before voting began by endorsing Martin as “our best chance to cut the cord with the billionaire funded corruption that will otherwise obstruct and limit our possibilities.”