Latest news with #DNC
Yahoo
18 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Washington's Shasti Conrad makes history as 1st South Asian American DNC vice chair
[Source] Washington State Democratic Party Chair Shasti Conrad secured a historic victory on Friday, becoming the first South Asian American to hold an officer position in the Democratic National Committee's national leadership. How she did it: Conrad beat Oklahoma DNC member Kalyn Free in the runoff, securing 225 votes (about 56%) from the 402 ballots submitted. The contest was a repeat of February elections that were overturned after Free challenged the process for violating gender balance requirements. Balloting ran Wednesday through Friday, which Conrad described as 'the longest election in DNC history.' Conrad will serve alongside Pennsylvania state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, who retained his vice chair position Saturday after David Hogg declined to run again following controversy over his announced plans to back primary challengers against Democratic incumbents. About Conrad: Conrad, 40, is in her second term heading Washington's Democratic Party and often references her upbringing by a single mother employed in a public sector union job when discussing policy. An Indian-born naturalized citizen, she frames her immigrant experience as a counternarrative to anti-immigrant messaging from the Trump administration. Conrad has worked in Democratic politics for nearly 20 years, including positions with then-Vice President Joe Biden and in the Obama White House's Office of Civic Engagement. DNC Chair Ken Martin lauded Conrad for being a 'trailblazer' who helped Washington become 'the only state in the country to buck a red wave across the ballot.' What's next: Conrad is now set to help develop party strategy for the 2026 midterm elections and craft responses to the Trump administration. In a statement shared with The Rebel Yellow, she emphasized her focus on engaging young voters and representing AAPI interests. 'As a millennial, I'm committed to creating more opportunities for young people to get involved and become the leaders of today — not just tomorrow,' she said, adding her determination to ensure AAPIs 'have a seat at every table where decisions are made.' She previously argued that Democrats should examine Washington state's electoral success as a potential model for other states. Trending on NextShark: This story is part of The Rebel Yellow Newsletter — a bold weekly newsletter from the creators of NextShark, reclaiming our stories and celebrating Asian American voices. Subscribe free to join the movement. If you love what we're building, consider becoming a paid member — your support helps us grow our team, investigate impactful stories, and uplift our community. Trending on NextShark: Subscribe here now! Download the NextShark App: Want to keep up to date on Asian American News? Download the NextShark App today!
Bloomberg
21 hours ago
- Politics
- Bloomberg
Wall Street Democrats Sweat as DNC Chair Navigates Mamdani Surge
The mood was uneasy as Democratic donors gathered at a Midtown steakhouse for lunch. The night before, progressive candidate Zohran Mamdani had all but clinched the party's nomination for New York mayor — triggering fears by moderates that national Democrats might veer toward socialism. Over crispy artichokes, shrimp and salmon, Democratic National Committee Chairman Ken Martin sought to reassure them.
New York Post
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Post
NY Mayoral Chaos, Robo-Taxis & Paramount Deal Drama
Lydia Moynihan and Charles Gasparino break down the political shockwaves after Zohran Mamdani clinched the Democratic nomination for NYC mayor. They examine Andrew Cuomo's next move and whether the DNC is ready for what comes next. Turning to tech headlines, Tesla's rollout of a small fleet of robo-taxis raises big questions about the future of driverless vehicles. Plus, the pair weigh in on Skydance's promise to seal the Paramount deal by summer's end—and the obstacles that could still derail it. To close, they name this week's winners and losers across business and politics.
Yomiuri Shimbun
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Democrats Want to Fight Trump, but They Can't Stop Fighting Each Other
Many Democratic leaders and activists have grown frustrated with the state of their national party operation, worrying that a spate of internal divisions and unflattering feuds threatens to hinder their fight against President Donald Trump's Republican Party. The Democratic National Committee, typically the domain of nuts and bolts political activity, has been rocked by clashes that reflect broader generational and ideological strains in the party. Now, some prominent Democrats are openly questioning the direction of the DNC under the leadership of Chair Ken Martin, with some suggesting it is stifling input from dissenting voices and refusing to change in a way that is risky for future elections. Others are blaming rival factions for adding to the party's challenges by intervening in primaries and embracing personal vendettas. And many are simply fed up with all the rancor. The criticism is still flying. The DNC has 'got to do a better of job of communicating with members and Democratic electeds and other members of our coalition,' Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Michigan) said Tuesday. She added that the problem is 'contributing to significant tension right now' and that Martin 'needs to be pulling people together.' 'There's more division than unity,' said Dingell, who helps lead House Democrats' messaging. While the task of rebuilding for 2026 and 2028 will fall to manyentities and leaders beyond the DNC, which tends to have a narrower mission, the committee's challenges highlight a party struggling to find its way after a crushing political defeat shut them out of power in Washington. Widespread anger with Trump's agenda has presented Democrats with an opportunity to regain lost ground, but they disagree on the best ways to accomplish that. Two influential labor leaders recently left the DNC and their departures became public this week. One of them, American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten, cited disagreements with Martin and suggested the party was 'not enlarging our tent.' That followed a months-long showdown between Martin and Gen Z gun control activist David Hogg over Hogg's decision to involve his political group in some Democratic primaries, including against some 'out-of-touch, ineffective' House incumbents. Martin and other Democratic officials said Hogg should stay neutral as a party officer. Facing the prospect of being ousted, Hogg opted to step down from the DNC last week, as Dingell and Weingarten praised him. 'It's clear this culture of staying in power until you die or simply fail to do a good job,' he said on the way out, 'has become an existential threat to the future of this party.' In an interview with The Washington Post this week, Martin said others 'want to create internal party drama,' but that he is focused on pushing ahead with his plan to remake the committee. 'I know there is news of that these last few days. I just have to stay focused on my guiding principles and what we are trying to scale up so we can win again,' he said. A DNC spokesperson said the party's committees still include many members with union backgrounds and defended the party's communication with other groups, saying the organization has daily meetings with House and Senate leadership and campaign committees and talks frequently with the messaging committee Dingell leads. Dingell said that communication is between staff. Many Democratic leaders defended Martin and directed their anger at his critics. 'Some people want to argue,' said Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio), who praised the DNC's work with her as one of the committee's associate chairs. 'Chair Martin wants to win elections and that's what separates him from the creatures of DC.' But some Democrats have not been pleased with what they see. 'You really have to work hard to step in the pile of s— that they're stepping in,' said Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wisconsin), a supporter of Hogg, speaking of how the situation had become a distraction from Democrats' agenda. 'Like you literally would have to go directly towards a path to step in it, in order to make this be the news coming out of the DNC.' Howard Chou, a DNC member from Colorado, complained that recent public squabbling distracted Democrats from their larger mission of calling out Trump and the Republican agenda. 'We dropped the baton, we tripped and we fell,' he said. While he did not blame Martin, Chou said it is incumbent on the new chairman to fix things: 'You're the head coach, you're going to have to take some of it.' The concerns Hogg and Weingarten expressed have captured the attention of other Democrats, who worry the DNC is alienating some elements of the party's base. 'Randi Weingarten, Lee Saunders, and David Hogg are critical voices in our party. They want a worker centered agenda with trade schools and support for collective bargaining,' said Rep. Ro Khanna (D-California). 'They have called for a new generation of leaders. We need to be a big tent party that includes them.' For other Democrats, the timing of the latest party drama was especially infuriating. They were eager to seize momentum coming out of a weekend of nationwide anti-Trump protests – and focused on grieving a tragedy in Martin's home state of Minnesota. As news of the labor union departures broke this weekend, Martin – the former chair of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party – was mourning the killing of his close friend Melissa Hortman, a Minnesota lawmaker, and her husband, Mark Hortman. Authorities said the attack was politically motivated. Martin said the weekend 'just reinstills my singular focus … which is to actually help us win elections again and not to be deterred by anything else.' Other party officials are eager to move on. Plenty of DNC members cheered Hogg's exit last week, and Martin's allies pointed to a lopsided vote to redo the vice chair elections – on procedural grounds – as a sign that many members were not happy with the young activist. Martin's complaints about Hogg on a private Zoom conversation became public this month, prompting some DNC members to accuse Hogg, without evidence, of leaking it. Hogg denied it. 'Every minute we're not talking about Donald Trump overstepping his authority, and we're having to talk about David Hogg and the DNC, we're losing,' said Democratic strategist Chuck Rocha. 'This is just fodder to show people that the poor Democratic Party can't even govern itself.' Some DNC members complained about Weingarten and accused her – along with labor leader Lee Saunders – of adding to the drama. Weingarten and Saunders supported a rival candidate for DNC chair this year, and Martin recently removed them from the DNC's powerful Rules and Bylaws Committee. Weingarten and Saunders declined Martin's offers to continue as at-large members of the DNC. Weingarten told others during the chair race that she would step down if Martin was elected, according to multiple Democrats involved in the chair race, and earlier resigned from the board of another political group, Latino Victory Fund, over its endorsement of Martin, according to two people familiar with the matter. Saunders did not respond to a request for comment. Weingarten said in statement that she wants 'the Democratic Party to work for working families.' 'That's what FDR did, that's what Joe Biden did, and that's what we should expect from the party, not anonymous commentary,' she said. One DNC member, who, like others in this story, spoke on the condition of anonymity to more openly discuss the situation, fretted about the Republican National Committee's cash advantage and said the national party was not visible enough in the fight against Trump. A DNC spokesperson said Martin had raised more in his first three months than any chair in party history. 'Do all of us as Democrats, including the DNC, need to do more? Yes. No one understands that more than the Chair and his team,' said Sam Cornale, a former committee CEO. 'But rebuilds take time, he added, and 'we should be marching in lockstep, and marching forward.' The DNC has a long history of infighting after the party loses a presidential election. In the aftermath of the 2016 election, the DNC spent months addressing accusations that it had favored Hillary Clinton over Bernie Sanders in the primary. 'Even on your own side, people play politics. And it's frustrating,' said Jaime Harrison, the DNC chair who preceded Martin and voiced confidence in his leadership. 'There are moments where you just want to break down and say, 'God, it is just not worth it,' and then you step back and see it really is worth it.' Leaders across the party acknowledge that they have a brand problem and deep vulnerabilities to address. However, some are growing tired of intraparty criticism. 'I think the party does have a message. Three freakin' words … Make life better. Go repeat it,' said Malcolm Kenyatta, a Pennsylvania Democrat who was elected vice chair of the DNC this year. 'Let's talk about what we are, instead of constantly talking about what we're not.'
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Union leaders' exit from DNC exposes ‘mind-boggling' tensions inside Democratic party
As the Democratic party fights to rebuild from a devastating election defeat, the abrupt exit of the presidents of two of the nation's largest labor unions from its top leadership board has exposed simmering tensions over the party's direction. Randi Weingarten and Lee Saunders quit the Democratic National Committee, saying it isn't doing enough to 'open the gates' and win back the support of working-class voters. Ken Martin, the new DNC chair, and his allies told the Guardian that the party was focused on doing exactly that. Weingarten, president of the 1.8-million-member American Federation of Teachers, resigned after Martin did not renominate her to serve on the DNC's important rules committee. In her resignation letter, Weingarten wrote that education, healthcare and public service workers were in 'an existential battle' due to Donald Trump's attacks and that she did not 'want to be the one who keeps questioning why we are not enlarging our tent'. Saunders, the long-time president of the 1.3-million-member American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, also issued a critical statement. 'These are new times. They deserve new strategies,' he said. 'We must evolve to meet the urgency of the moment. This is not a time to close ranks or turn inward … It is our responsibility to open the gates [and] welcome others.' Several DNC officials asserted that the two departures were a 'tempest in a teapot', insisting that Martin is working to have the DNC welcome more people and battle against Trump. Weingarten and Saunders evidently felt sore that their candidate for DNC chair, Ben Wikler, the head of Wisconsin's Democratic party, lost to Martin, the officials suggested. Steve Rosenthal, former political director of the AFL-CIO, the main US labor federation, said the resignations were an inarguable blow to the DNC. 'When something like this becomes public, there's clearly a spotlight on it,' he said. 'Giving the longstanding leadership role that Randi and Lee have played in the Democratic party, and at a time when the party is trying to desperately improve its image with working-class voters and remake itself in a lot of ways, this is really unacceptable.' In an interview, Weingarten said she wished the DNC was conducting an all-out nationwide mobilization to defeat the Trump/GOP budget bill, which would throw an estimated 11 million Americans off health insurance, cut food stamps to millions of families and cause the federal debt to soar by over $3tn. DNC chair Martin told the Guardian that, under his leadership, the DNC was already doing what Weingarten and Saunders were calling for. 'I've always called myself a pro-labor progressive,' Martin said, noting that he had been a union member and labor organizer. 'My family grew up on programs that would be cut if Trump's tax scam passes. Winning back the working class and stopping Trump from harming families is exactly where our focus is.' Martin added that in his nearly five months as DNC chair, the committee has held 130 town halls and launched an 'aggressive war room' to take on Trump. 'My first action as DNC chair was pledging to have strong labor voices at the table,' Martin said. 'Our job is to win in 2025, 2026 and beyond.' But their resignation statements signal that Weingarten and Saunders have a very different view from Martin of what the DNC is doing on his watch. Several DNC officials said the pair might not be up to date with the DNC's activities across the 50 states. Weingarten told the Guardian that Martin and the DNC are not showing nearly enough urgency in opposing the Trump/GOP budget bill. 'The number one issue in the next two weeks is: how do we help fight the GOP budget bill that faces almost two-to-one public opposition,' she said, adding that the DNC should be going all out to help House and Senate Democrats torpedo the bill. 'We can be the voice and be out there with stories about how the budget bill will hurt, and the DNC is a perfect place for doing that,' Weingarten said. 'You got to win hearts and minds now, not in October 2026. That's the kind of thing that we've been looking for since January. We have to be a party that wins on the ground.' Artie Blanco, a union activist and DNC vice-chair, said that under Martin, the DNC had been fighting hard against the budget bill. 'There are over 16,000 Democratic volunteers making phone calls across the country in targeted congressional districts about the GOP budget, and how it will be devastating to working people,' Blanco said. Weingarten voiced dismay about not being renominated for the rules committee. 'It was definitely a sign that my input was not sought any more and [not] appreciated,' she said, stressing that the AFT 'will continue to be a leader in electing pro-public education, pro-working family candidates' and planned to be 'especially engaged' in the 2025-26 elections. Jane Kleeb, president of the Association of State Democratic Committees, said that Weingarten's and Saunders's 'claims that Ken and the DNC are not standing up for working people and not standing on the side of unions and union members is laughable'. 'Ken has been on the front line to bring unions back to our party,' added Kleeb, who is also chair of the Nebraska Democratic party. 'He has appointed more union leaders than any other [DNC] chair' – and put unions at the forefront while chair of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor party, before he assumed the DNC's helm, she said. Stuart Appelbaum, the DNC's labor chair, and president of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, took issue with the statements Weingarten and Saunders made about Martin. 'I am thrilled that Ken Martin is prioritizing the importance of having labor at the table and has ensured that there is strong labor representation in every part of the DNC,' Appelbaum said. He added that Martin 'understands that working people are the backbone of the party'. Michael Podhorzer, a political strategist and former AFL-CIO political director, said the Democratic party has for decades not focused enough on working-class voters. He said Democrats would have a tough battle winning back blue-collar voters. 'The experience of many American working people is they feel left off the radar,' Podhorzer said. Democrats, Podhorzer noted, have suffered the greatest loss of support in communities that were 'gutted' after the 2008-09 recession; from the signing of Nafta, a trade deal with Canada and Mexico; and from normalized trade relations with China. Nafta and normalized trade with China were ratified under President Clinton, a Democrat. Arlie Russell Hochschild, a sociologist who has studied Trump's success in wooing working-class voters, said the decline of US labor unions over the past 50 years has necessarily meant that unions have less sway in the Democratic party. Rosenthal, the former AFL-CIO official and also a former DNC deputy political director, called on the DNC and Democrats to work far more closely with unions. 'Among working-class voters, support for unions is through the roof, and the Democratic party and the Republican party have no credibility with working-class voters,' he said. 'They don't trust the parties, but they trust the labor movement. It's incumbent on the party to build bridges and put the labor movement front and center in everything it does.' 'From that standpoint,' he continued, the tension that led to Weingarten and Sauders quitting 'is mind-boggling'. Several labor leaders said Martin should have done more to keep prominent and powerful union leaders like Weingarten and Saunders satisfied and on the DNC, even if they backed one of his opponents for DNC chair. Responding to Weingarten and Saunders' concerns, Martin said: 'The DNC and our partners are leading the fight against Trump's budget bill, investing unprecedented dollars into states so Democrats can win elections from the ground up, and reaching out to voters in working-class districts.' Martin told the Guardian that he's trying hard to build bridges with the broader labor movement, and increase its role in the DNC and in the Democrats' efforts. 'Winning back the working class and stopping Trump's budget bill isn't a political goal, it's personal,' he said. 'Labor runs through my family's veins.'
