NEW YORK — Some Democratic officials have lost confidence in Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin's leadership, and party operatives have begun informal discussions about recruiting a successor ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Martin took over the committee nearly a year ago, and most operatives believe his position is not in serious jeopardy before the midterms.

Senior strategists approached Amanda Litman, who leads the Democratic-allied organization Run For Something, in recent days to gauge her interest in replacing Martin. Litman declined.

"I think it's a really hard job, and also Ken is not doing it very well," Litman said. "I honestly think he's going to have a hard time rebuilding trust."

Major donors are not giving to the committee, and liberal influencers have publicly questioned Martin's refusal to release an internal study of the 2024 election known inside the committee as the "after-action report." Martin promised to release the report on his first day as chair but has not done so. Two people with direct knowledge said Martin acknowledged pressure related to the report and indicated changes could be coming soon. Two people who spoke anonymously said Martin has become increasingly paranoid.

Over the past week, Martin avoided media interviews while focusing on the committee's financial health and scouting potential sites for the 2028 presidential convention. He hosted a crowded fundraising event in Denver, followed by three private one-on-one donor meetings and additional calls with donors in other cities. Under his leadership over the past year, Democrats have dominated races for governor and special elections for state legislative and congressional seats, and have won campaigns for state supreme court, county executive and county sheriff.

Martin is implementing a 50-state spending strategy that supporters privately acknowledge is risky. The DNC is distributing $1 million each month among party organizations in every state and key U.S. territories, with an additional $5,000 per month going to nearly two dozen Republican-controlled states to build party infrastructure.

"We made a conscious decision to spend money," said Chris Lowe, the DNC's national finance co-chair. "His view, and I would agree with this view, is the best way to position ourselves for the presidential election in '28 is not just to amass a bunch of money, it's to have a history of winning elections all across the country up and down the ballot. And that's what we've done."

The committee reported $22.1 million in cash on hand and $18.4 million in debt at the end of March, according to a federal filing. The Republican National Committee reported $116.8 million in the bank with zero debt. Martin raised more money in his first year as chair than any previous DNC chair in an equivalent year without holding the White House, and in 2026 so far the committee has exceeded its big-dollar fundraising targets every month.

Michael Kapp, a DNC member from California and an ally of Martin, said on the after-action report: "It's certainly something that should be made public. When we're six, seven months away from the midterms, we need to be focused on the midterms." On the committee's spending approach, Kapp said: "Republicans can brag about having more money but they're not spending it, and they're not winning. At the end of the day the scoreboard matters more than the spreadsheet."