Democratic National Committee (DNC) Vice Chair Ken Martin criticized the party for losing to Republicans this election cycle, describing the loss as a “damning indictment” from the American people during a Friday evening appearance on The Lead with Jake Tapper. “For the first time, the majority of Americans believe that the Republican Party best represents the interests of the working class and the poor, and the Democratic Party represents the interests of the of the wealthy and the elite,” he told Tapper. “That is a damning indictment on our party brand,” he continued, noting that moving forward, the party must work to rebuild the link between popular ballot initiatives relating to abortion rights, health care and minimum wage to its base. Martin, the chair of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer Labor Party, said Democrats must focus on plans to rebuild the party and prioritize “every race in every zip code” not just federal races. Some party members have blamed the loss on President Biden’s decision to step aside in July which offered Vice President Harris only about 100 days to appeal to voters.  Still, exit polls show that Republicans won by winning over working class Americans on the issues of inflation, immigration and border security. The DNC will choose new leadership ahead of the next election cycle as Chair Jamie Harrison steps aside. Martin is one of four candidates eyeing the position as the party seeks to create a new vision after President-elect Trump’s win.