The race for chair of the Democratic National Committee may eventually include candidates who are well known across the party, but few are likely to have deeper relationships with the committee members who have a vote in the contest than Ken Martin, the Minnesota Democratic chairman.
Mr. Martin, who announced his candidacy to lead the D.N.C. on Tuesday, has led his state party since 2011 and served as a vice chairman of the national party since 2017. He is also the leader of the association of state Democratic chairs, a body that lobbies for state parties within the national committee.
If Martin O’Malley, the former Maryland governor who entered the contest on Monday, has experience as a candidate for state and national office, Mr. Martin, 51, is a veteran behind-the-scenes operator. He enters the race with 83 endorsements from D.N.C. members, his campaign said, a daunting figure given that the field is not yet set.
Other potential candidates who have had discussions about joining the race include Ben Wikler, the Wisconsin Democratic chairman, and Michael Blake, a former New York State Assembly member who served as a party vice chairman.
Jaime Harrison, the current D.N.C. chairman, is not seeking a second term. The election is expected to take place in early 2025.
Mr. Martin said in an interview on Monday that the next party leader would have an opportunity to “reimagine the D.N.C. and focus on some things that they haven’t been doing for some time while also really trying to get at what happened in this last election.”
