American Federation of Teachers union President Randi Weingarten is leaving her position with the Democratic National Committee (DNC) due to disagreements with leadership, according to a letter obtained by POLITICO.
Weingarten has served as an at-large member of the DNC for 23 years and has served on its Rules and Bylaws Committee since 2009. She has been a delegate to each of the Democratic conventions since 1992.
In her June 5 letter to DNC Chair Ken Martin, Weingarten states she “must decline the appointment” to the DNC because while “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.”
According to POLITICO, Weingarten’s departure is “the latest sign that the party is still embroiled in factional disputes, and it is likely to only further finger-pointing and intensify criticism among Democrats” who are “trying to rebuild their party in the wake of their 2024 loss.”
Weingarten has defended former DNC vice chair David Hogg, who was ousted last week from his post on the committee, as he has come under fire over his decision to fund primary challenges against Democrats that he sees as ineffective in safe-blue districts.
Weingarten also supported another candidate to lead the DNC, Wisconsin Democratic Party chair Ben Wikler, during the party’s election earlier this year.
Martin, who is new to the position, formerly served as chair of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party from 2011 to 2025. He removed Weingarten from her position on the Rules and Bylaws Committee when he took over as DNC chair in 2025, reports POLITICO.
Minnesota educators who are members of Education Minnesota are also members of Weingarten’s American Federation for Teachers and pay a portion of their annual dues to the national affiliate.