DNC chair points to 2025 wins as a map out of the political wilderness heading into the midterm cycle

Source: CBS News

Updated on: December 9, 2025 / 12:19 PM EST


In the year since President Trump and the GOP's decisive 2024 victories, Democrats have been grappling with a central question: how to chart a path out of what many in the party have described as the political "wilderness."

A series of wins in 2025 — from New York City to California, New Jersey and Virginia — has eased some of that anxiety. While Democrats' over-performance in these races came largely in blue states, party operatives say the victories have offered needed momentum and a sense of direction after last year's bruising losses at the hands of Republicans left many Democrats feeling adrift.

In a wide-ranging interview with CBS News, Democratic National Committee Chairman Ken Martin said he believes the party's rebuilding process remains far from complete, but that it has taken steps to correct the direction. "I won't feel like we're out of the wilderness until we win in '28," Martin said. "Our motto at the DNC is all gas, no breaks. We're not gonna rest until November of 2028 and we've got a lot of work to do between now and then."

But Martin said he feels "buoyed" by the off-year wins, including at the local level. Democrats won governor's races in New Jersey and Virginia by double-digit margins last month, after losing ground to Mr. Trump in both states in 2024. And a Democrat lost a special election for a House seat in middle Tennessee last week by 9 points, well below the GOP's 21-point edge last year.

Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/dnc-democratic-chair-ken-martin-2025-wins-midterm-cycle-interview/