The chairman of Minnesota Democrats, he has longstanding connections to many of the Democratic National Committee members who will choose their next leader.

Ken Martin, head of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, announced Tuesday that he is running for the job. He begins the contest with support from 83 members of the DNC, he said, almost one-fifth of the body. Martin confirmed his candidacy in a text to POLITICO. It was first reported by the New York Times.

Martin O’Malley, the former Maryland governor and commissioner of the Social Security Administration, on Monday became the first person to announce a bid to lead the Democratic National Committee as the party plots a post-election path forward.