Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chair Ken Martin says he’s confident his party’s significant investment in 2025’s two major gubernatorial races will deliver results.
“I do expect that we’ll win those elections in New Jersey and Virginia,” Martin told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview, pointing to the only two states holding governor’s races this year. “We feel pretty bullish about our chances.”
After losing control of the White House and Senate last year and failing to retake the House majority, Democrats are hoping for a strong showing in next week’s elections. The contests in New Jersey and Virginia are seen as early tests of President Donald Trump’s political agenda — and a preview of what may come in next year’s midterm elections, when Democrats aim to reclaim control of Congress.
The DNC has poured more than $7 million — a record amount — into voter turnout and organizing efforts in New Jersey, Virginia, and Pennsylvania, where Democrats are defending three state Supreme Court seats.
“I’ve always taken the position that every election matters, whether it’s local or federal, on-year or off-year. Every inch of ground that we gain adds up,” Martin said.
Since Trump returned to the White House in January, Martin noted, “there’s been 45 elections on the ballot. Democrats have overperformed in all of them by about 16 percentage points on average.” Still, he emphasized that the party is “not taking anything for granted.”
When asked what a potential setback at the ballot box might mean, Martin said his focus remains on “turning out every single vote we can over these next several days to make sure we do win.”
He added, “We have terrific candidates running great campaigns.”
Martin spoke during a two-day campaign tour in Pennsylvania before heading back to New Jersey and Virginia to boost voter turnout.
In New Jersey, polls show a tight race between Democratic nominee Rep. Mikie Sherrill and Republican Jack Ciattarelli, who’s hoping to succeed term-limited Gov. Phil Murphy.
When asked why Republicans are optimistic about their chances, Martin told Politico recently that “New Jersey is the best place, probably, for Donald Trump to actually stop the Democratic momentum — or at least minimize it.”
Acknowledging the close race, Martin said, “History is not on our side — we haven’t elected a Democrat to a third consecutive term in the governor’s office in at least 50 years.”
Still, he argued that Sherrill “is running a really strong campaign with a message that’s resonating with New Jerseyans.”
In Virginia, Democrats face additional challenges following controversy in the attorney general race. Democratic nominee Jay Jones apologized for 2022 text messages comparing then–House Speaker Todd Gilbert to Adolf Hitler and Pol Pot, saying he would “use both bullets” on the Republican lawmaker if he had two.
Republicans have called for Jones to withdraw.
“Let me be very clear,” Martin said. “I immediately condemned those vile and indefensible comments and called on him to apologize — which he did.”
When asked whether he should have called for Jones to step aside, Martin responded, “That’s up to Virginians to decide whether his comments were disqualifying. They’ll make their decision in a few days.”
Martin also underscored the importance of Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court retention elections, calling them “critical for our party.”
“What we’ve seen over many years are attempts by billionaire donors and special interests to buy Supreme Court seats across the country,” he warned. “If they win these races, they’ll take that strategy nationwide. It’s an attempt to undermine democracy.”
The Republican National Committee (RNC) responded by highlighting its fundraising advantage.
“Ken Martin has turned the DNC into a debt-ridden circus run by radicals — and we sincerely hope he keeps it up,” RNC national press secretary Kiersten Pels said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “Regardless of what happens next Tuesday, it won’t be because of anything Ken Martin did. The DNC is broke, desperate, and wasting its last dollars trying to save face in blue states — and even then, Democrats are struggling to hold on.”
