Rufus Gifford, finance director for former President Barack Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign and a former junior finance staffer for the DNC, wrote in a Monday Substack post that “the DNC is spiraling towards irrelevance.”

“At this point, I think there is no saving Martin’s chairmanship,” Gifford added. “He is a good man with good intentions but simply not meeting this critical moment.”

The DNC’s powerful Rules and Bylaws Committee recently selected South Carolina as the first state to vote in the 2028 presidential primary process during a preliminary vote last week, a move that has ruffled the feathers of some progressives who claim it may stifle a grassroots candidate.

But the revelations that Martin threw a phone at a junior staffer, asked vendors not to bill the DNC until after the midterm elections, and used the DNC headquarters as collateral for a $15 million line of credit have reignited calls for his ouster just two months after the botched release of a shelved autopsy report on the 2024 presidential election.

Elections analyst Drew Savicki called the DNC “a powerless organization” and suggested both the DNC and Republican National Committee are “outmoded concepts in today’s world” in a social media post.

Particularly dragging down Martin’s chairmanship is that recent Federal Election Commission reports show the DNC had $16.3 million cash on hand at the end of June but more than $18 million in debt, while the RNC had $128 million cash on hand.

Other Democratic committees and allied super PACs are considerably better funded, raising questions about whether major donors increasingly see them as more effective vehicles than the DNC. The Democratic Senatorial Congressional Committee had $41 million cash on hand at the end of June, and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee had $79 million cash on hand.

Many of the calls for Martin to step down have been loudest from outside Democrats, who cannot remove him. Former DNC Vice Chairman David Hogg and Rep. Sam Liccardo (D-CA) called for his resignation on social media. “We shouldn’t have someone leading the DNC who can’t raise money,” Hogg wrote on X. “Let alone someone who throws stuff at staff and can’t raise money.”

DNC PANEL ADVANCES SOUTH CAROLINA AS FIRST STATE IN THE 2028 PRIMARY CALENDAR

But at least two members of the Rules and Bylaws Committee and others told the Washington Examiner they stand by Martin and downplayed suggestions that the DNC is irrelevant.

“Ken has overwhelming support among DNC members,” said one DNC member. “He will last.”

The other DNC member said they “still stand by him and I think he will make it through this year.”

One Democrat, who has been involved with DNC members, told the Washington Examiner they hadn’t heard internally that Martin would be pushed out and thought that if Democrats have a successful midterm night, Martin could likely hold on to the chairmanship.

“I think the DNC has got an important role, and they might want to try to think about narrowing it versus trying to be everything to everyone,” said the Democrat. “Everything’s about focusing on state parties.”

The Democrat pointed out that Martin’s paranoia about leaks to the media and the gatekeeping of important donor lists is likely causing harm not just to the DNC but to state party chairs who struggle to raise money.

“At the end of the day, everything comes down to who you know in your phone,” they said. “And you see it in Ken’s behavior too; there’s always this gatekeeping attitude because you’re worried that if you give too much away, you lose your power.”

Michael Kapp, another member of the Rules and Bylaws Committee, blamed the damaging leaks on those with an axe to grind against Martin over changing the financial structure of the DNC to prioritize the party infrastructure over consultants.

“Look at what’s actually happening instead of what’s being fed to reporters by those who have an axe to grind,” said Kapp. “$154.8 million raised so far under Chair Martin, against $95.2 million the last time Democrats were out of the White House — that’s 60% more money raised, with grassroots donors carrying the load and big-donor support up 68% past the previous peak.”

“And the timing isn’t lost on me — this started the day after the RBC released a smooth, successful early window calendar under his leadership,” said Kapp. “There’s no internal appetite within the DNC to remove a chair who is outraising his predecessors and outperforming on the map with 99 days left before the midterms. You don’t bench the guy who’s winning — unless winning isn’t what you care about.”

Martin’s relationships with state parties, particularly as a former president of the Association of State Democratic Committees, may be what ultimately save him, if he survives. As chairman, Martin has directed more funds to all 50 state Democratic parties, with $17,500 going to officials in blue states and $22,500 going to officials in red states.

Martin also has the support of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), who stood behind Martin’s chairmanship while stumping in Pennsylvania over the weekend. But outside of the DNC, Democrats are growing more frustrated with Martin’s leadership when they are hoping to retake at least one branch of Congress.

The full DNC membership will meet in Austin, Texas, for its August meeting to fully ratify the 2028 calendar. But sources told the Washington Examiner they haven’t yet heard of any member organizing a vote of no confidence, although outside pressure could change if more damaging stories are leaked.

KEN MARTIN FACES CALL TO RESIGN AFTER REPORTS OF DISMAL FUNDRAISING AND VIOLENT OUTBURST

Meanwhile, the DNC’s ability to set the 2028 calendar and host the presidential convention may mean Democrats with presidential ambitions could be keen to influence a Martin replacement if he is pushed out.

“Most will not have an appetite for the headaches associated with the job, but it is a safe bet that every potential presidential candidate is hungry to get a crony in the job,” said Kerr, of WelcomePAC.