On February 1, local time, Ken Martin, Chairman of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party of Minnesota, was elected as the new Chairman of the Democratic National Committee (DNC). The DNC is the official governing body of the U.S. Democratic Party and is responsible for coordinating campaign strategies for candidates in state, local and national elections, organizing the DNC every four years to determine the party's nomination for the presidential election, and developing the U.S. Democratic Party's political platform.