Martin looked to cement that image in his first remarks to the press as chair on Saturday, after defeating Wisconsin Democratic Party Chair Ben Wikler, who had the backing of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries.

Democrats on Saturday elected Ken Martin, the party leader in Minnesota, as the national chair, turning to a low-profile Midwestern political operative to coordinate their resistance to Donald Trump’s presidency.

The Democratic National Committee chose Mr. Martin, the leader of the Minnesota Democrats, to help oversee a demoralized national party split over its future and its response to President Trump.