Democrat Fundraising Titan Says DNC Is A ‘10-Alarm Fire,’ Calls To Oust Party Chair

Rufus Gifford, a longtime Democratic fundraiser and former senior party official, called for Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chair Ken Martin to be removed, arguing that the organization is “spiraling towards irrelevance” under his leadership.

Gifford made the case in a Monday Substack post titled “The Democratic National Committee Is Worth Saving,” blaming Martin for the party’s fundraising and messaging struggles over the past year.

“For the last year I have been banging my head against the wall,” Gifford wrote.

Gifford previously served as the DNC’s national finance director, U.S. chief of protocol, deputy campaign manager for former President Joe Biden and U.S. ambassador to Denmark.

“Today the DNC is spiraling towards irrelevance,” Gifford said. “I had no horse in the race for DNC chair last year, I like Ken Martin, I like Ben Wikler but I had very much hoped that a marquee name with national relevance and relationships would take the reigns [sic] of a party that was floundering.”

Gifford argued that the DNC has two principal responsibilities heading into a midterm election: raising money and promoting the party’s message. The two functions are closely connected, he said, because effective media appearances can energize donors and attract financial support.

“You gotta be the kind of person who can go on Morning Joe or The Daily Show or Rachel Maddow or Bulwark or Pod Save or Joe Rogan or Fox EVERY SINGLE TIME they would book you to talk about what you are building and hammer relentlessly your opponents,” Gifford wrote.

“A strong presence and message will be clipped and shared across all channels, your fundraisers will blast them out and confidence should build,” he continued. “The chattering class (aka the donor base) will chatter to the media. The funders will take your calls and the requested meeting. The money will start to flow.” (RELATED: ‘Like Graham Platner But Worse’: GOP Group Vows $42,000,000 Against Last-Minute Replacement Democrat)

Gifford also recounted a recent meeting with a major DNC supporter who claimed he had received no communication from the organization. Gifford said he found the complaint credible because he had similarly received no outreach from Martin.

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

“As Democrats, the only solution is to acknowledge the problem and fix it. Now,” he added.

Martin has faced mounting criticism during his tenure as DNC chair.

Former DNC Vice Chair David Hogg was ousted after announcing plans to spend millions of dollars supporting primary challenges against incumbent Democrats. The DNC later voided the election that elevated Hogg to the position, citing a procedural challenge involving the party’s gender-balance rules.

During his dispute with Hogg, Martin reportedly complained that the controversy had undermined his efforts to establish credibility and raise money for the party.

“No one knows who the hell I am, right? I’m trying to get my sea legs underneath of me and actually develop any amount of credibility so I can go out there and raise the money and do the job I need to to put ourselves in a position to win,” Martin reportedly told Hogg.

“And, again, I don’t think you intended this, but you essentially destroyed any chance I have to show the leadership that I need to,” Martin continued. “So it’s really frustrating.”

A DNC member also described Martin as “weak and whiny” to Politico in 2025.

Martin subsequently resisted publishing the DNC’s autopsy of the party’s performance in the 2024 election, reportedly arguing that it did not meet the organization’s standards for publication. Martin ultimately released the full report after CNN informed the DNC that it planned to publish portions of it.

Gifford previously reposted a Political Polls chart on Threads comparing the Republican and Democratic parties’ finances as of May 31. The chart showed the Republican National Committee with $125 million in cash on hand and listed the DNC at negative $3 million.

“If Democrats don’t see this as a certifiable 10 alarm fire then we don’t deserve to win,” Gifford said. “There must must must be changes made.”