Randi Weingarten and Lee Saunders step down from DNC roles as party rift over leadership deepens

WASGHINTON, DC: Tensions continue to rise within the Democratic Party as internal divisions flare, fueled in part by former Vice Chair David Hogg’s controversial efforts to challenge party leadership. 

Now, two prominent union leaders – Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, and Lee Saunders, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees – have stepped down from their roles within the Democratic National Committee (DNC), declining offers to remain as at-large members, according to The New York Times. 

Their departures signal mounting dissatisfaction among progressives and labor allies over the DNC’s direction and leadership, following the party’s sweeping losses in the 2024 elections.

Randi Weingarten and Lee Saunders exit DNC amid growing discontent with party leadership

In the June 5 letter, obtained by Politico and written just weeks before her passionate speech at the No Kings rally in Philadelphia,  Randi Weingarten expressed pride in her decades of service to the Democratic Party — including roles as an at-large DNC member since 2002, 15 years on the Rules and Bylaws Committee, and as a delegate to every national convention for the past 30 years. 

However, she wrote, "While I am proud to be a Democrat, I appear to be out of step with the leadership you are forging, and I do not want to be the one who keeps questioning why we are not enlarging our tent and actively trying to engage more and more of our communities."

Her comments underscore growing frustration with Martin’s leadership, as also noted by Blaze Media. The resignation of Weingarten and fellow union leader Lee Saunders comes as another setback for Martin, who had only recently moved past the controversy surrounding former DNC Vice Chair David Hogg. 

Hogg stepped down last week after causing internal turmoil with his $20 million initiative to primary challenge older Democratic incumbents, whom he criticized as "asleep at the wheel," through his PAC, Leaders We Deserve.

An anonymous DNC official told Fox News, "There is a huge vacuum of leadership in the Democratic Party and Ken is proving to be a weak, ineffective leader who isn’t ready for any of this." 

Another DNC committee member, also speaking anonymously, said it was “not surprising” that Weingarten and Saunders stepped down, since both had supported a different candidate for DNC chair.

Randi Weingarten and Lee Saunders support opponent of Ken Martin in race for DNC chair

Fox News also reported that both Randi Weingarten and Lee Saunders had supported Wisconsin Democratic Party Chair Ben Wikler, the opponent of Ken Martin in the race for DNC chair.

A source close to the DNC commented on Weingarten’s continued opposition to Martin, saying, “Ever since the horse she bet on in the Chairs race lost, she has always been on the other side of the fence as Ken — this is no surprise."

Following the leadership race, Martin removed Weingarten from the DNC’s powerful Rules and Bylaws Committee, which is responsible for shaping the Democratic presidential nominating process and calendar.

Despite the internal divisions, a DNC committee member praised Weingarten and Saunders as “incredible leaders” with the nation’s best interests at heart.

They expressed confidence that all parties would eventually unite around the common goal of defeating Republicans. "I have no doubt both of them, and the labor unions, will move forward and work together with the Chairman, and every other Democrat who is, first and foremost, focused on beating Donald Trump and the existential threat that he and Republicans pose to Americans’ lives and livelihoods and our democracy."

DNC Labor Council Chair Stuart Applebaum pushed back against criticism of Ken Martin, saying that the chair “understands that workers are the backbone of the Democratic Party, and his vision for winning back working families is exactly how our party needs to move forward."

Applebaum further defended Martin’s leadership, crediting him with expanding the party’s base and introducing a “winning approach” to the DNC.