Ken Martin speaks after being elected the Democratic National Committee chair, at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Md., on Feb. 1. (ALLISON ROBBERT/The New York Times)

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Let’s face it: Ken Martin’s been chairman of the Democratic National Committee for less than a month and the Minnesota DFL is already falling apart. Democratic lawmakers failed to show up for the first three weeks of session, and then news broke that Sen. Tina Smith is retiring after her current term ends. Rumors quickly spread that everyone from Gov. Tim Walz to Secretary of State Steve Simon and Rep. Angie Craig might run to fill the seat. Historically, Democrats have kept their infighting and conflicts in-house. However, the loss of Martin has resulted in Democrats, like Walz and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, publicizing their jockeying for control of said power. All of this is creating opportunities for Republicans to pick up seats at the midterms next year in an election that would historically be considered a wave year for Democrats.

It’s a strong testament to the ship that Martin has built and commanded over the years as DFL chair. In the 14 years since Martin was elected chairman in 2011, he has been a thorn in the side of Minnesota Republicans who failed time and again to compete with the infrastructure, fundraising and overall cohesiveness that he brought to the state party’s table. Even as the states around Minnesota — the Dakotas, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri, Wisconsin, Michigan and Ohio — grew redder and more competitive, Martin and the Democrats managed to hold on to their power statewide, even while losing traditionally blue areas like the Iron Range and western Minnesota.

It’s a model that Martin is now looking to build on a larger, more national scale. He does so in the face of a new reality: The spark and drive that saw Democrats and the DNC rise with the historic election of Barack Obama died at the end of Obama’s second term in 2016. During my time with the Republican National Committee (RNC), we repeatedly highlighted a detrimental fault of the DNC — they relied on the organization of their presidential candidates rather than building an infrastructure independent of their campaigns. As a result, the DNC relied heavily on Obama for America (OFA) and the ground-up organizing infrastructure it had built nationwide for the presidential race. This allowed the DNC to go in and not only help presidential candidates but also down-ballot races; yet with the end of Obama’s presidency came the end of OFA and that infrastructure.

In the past eight years, Democrats nationwide have failed to build infrastructure and cohesion, which has further been exacerbated by the shifts and changes caused by Donald Trump’s presidency. Once a party united behind candidates sharing similar ideologies and viewpoints, Ken Martin is now at the helm of a fractured party pulled in two directions. He can either push to embrace candidates and ideas that pass the far left’s litmus test, or, as he’s done in Minnesota, attempt to create a space where a range of viewpoints can fit under the Democrats’ banner.

There are already signs of Martin trying to build on the latter with calls to target red-state voters with messaging against the Trump administration and a call to reclaim the party’s title as champions of the working class. But he does so in the face of elected members within his party who have spent the last month calling on their supporters to “fight Trump in the streets,” stating that “we have to f*** Trump” and making demands to “shut down the city” because “we are at war.” Democrats have even begun the process of, once again, trying to impeach the newly inaugurated Republican president.

It may be far too soon to say whether Martin will find success or follow in the footsteps of DNC chairmen past, who came in optimistically but failed to provide sound, directional leadership. While his 14 years of steady leadership in Minnesota generated quiet respect and a commitment to playing nice from his fellow in-state Democrats, the national scene is far different, with personal ambitions overriding the bigger picture. Regardless of what happens, one thing is certain: National Republicans should be wary if Martin finds steam in his rebuilding efforts, but they should thank God his skills have pulled him from Minnesota.

Preya Samsundar is a GOP communications consultant with K2 & Company. She has worked for Nikki Haley’s presidential super-PAC, the Republican National Committee, President Donald Trump and other Republican candidates around the country. She lives in Burnsville.