O’Malley demands opponents release donor lists in DNC chair race

A spokesperson for Wikler’s campaign said their campaign is backed by 1,000 donors, but declined to release a list in its entirety. As Chair, Ben will also supercharge sustainable grassroots funding, as he has in Wisconsin, and treat donors at all levels like human beings rather than ATMs.” A spokesperson for Ken Martin, who leads Minnesota’s Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party and the apparent frontrunner in the race, said “they would have no problem releasing the names of their donors.” Martin also took some veiled shots at Wikler for “rub elbows with billionaires or Hollywood elites” last week. When asked at last week’s DNC forum if Wikler’s “connection to Democratic donors” was a “bad thing,” Martin praised Wikler’s fundraising strength but criticized his closeness to Hoffman, though not by name. “The common theme throughout conversations with DNC Members is a lack of openness and transparency within the party,” Taylor’s statement continued. “It must be a leader we can trust at every level whether to set a primary nomination calendar in a fair process, overhaul vendor selection, or open up the DNC’s books to its members.” DNC chair campaigns are not required to release their donors ahead of the chair election on Feb. 1, when 448 DNC members will vote on their leadership.