CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The West Virginia Democratic Party has scheduled its annual Roosevelt-Kennedy Celebration for Oct. 3 in Charleston as party leaders look to energize members ahead of the November General Election.
The featured speaker will Democratic National Committee Chairman Ken Martin.
West Virginia Democratic Party Chair Mike Pushkin, who also is a member of the House of Delegates, said he’s looking forward to welcoming Martin, his message, and his financial support to Charleston.
“I supported him when he was running for DNC chair, and I still support him because he’s doing exactly what he said he was going to do,” Pushkin said on WAJR’s “Talk of the Town.” “He is passing the money through to the state parties because this is where the rubber meets the road.”
A July report from the Washington Post showed the Democratic National Committee was carrying $17.9 million in debt and had $16 million cash on hand compared to $130 million being held by the Republican National Committee.
Including the release of the 2024 election autopsy, Martin has faced a series of challenges, including the rise of the Democrat Socialists of America within the party. Some reports indicate major donors have bypassed the national party and donated cash directly to campaigns.
“It’s much ado about nothing,” Pushkin said. “Ken Martin has raised more money than any chairman when we weren’t in power, and it’s much easier to raise money when you have the White House.”
Martin recently defended fundraising in a Substack post during his tenure, saying the party was converting cash into “electoral assets: more people, earlier organizing, better technology, and stronger state parties.”
“When you’re out of power, it’s a little more difficult, but he’s raising a lot of money,” Pushkin said. “He’s doing exactly what he said he was going to do, and that is spending this money going into the election; he’s not waiting for a presidential election, we’re spending it on the midterms.”
Pushkin said that could help his party’s candidates.
“Especially in what would be considered a red state like West Virginia,” Pushkin said. “That has allowed us to do what we need to do on a state level to build the infrastructure so we can have some success this November.”
The 2026 Roosevelt-Kennedy Dinner will be held at the Beni Kedem Temple in Charleston.