Activist David Hogg set off a firestorm among Democrats last week when he said his political action committee would fund a $20 million effort to challenge “ineffective” incumbents in primaries.
Hogg is a vice chair of the Democratic National Committee, and his comments reverberated through party circles, prompting a throng of angered Democrats to complain — including to DNC officials — that he shouldn’t put his thumb on the scale as an officer of the committee.
Since last week, Hogg has appeared on just about every cable news show and digital outlet, advocating for a party reset of sorts — not just because it lost the White House to Donald Trump, but also because, he said, it lost faith among voters.
Now the party is grappling with what to do with him.
At 25, Hogg has emerged as a potential disruptor to a party still trying to find its way forward after a bitter loss in November. Since former Vice President Kamala Harris’ defeat, the party has struggled to find its footing against a Republican trifecta in Washington and is still searching for a leader and a message.
On Thursday, Hogg is expected to be a topic of discussion on a scheduled call with DNC officials and the media. It’s not clear whether he will be on the call.
“We are rolling out historic investments into state parties. And I’m sure Chair [Ken] Martin will discuss reforms he’s pushing and that he ran on. One of which is our party and our officers being neutral in primaries,” said Jane Kleeb, a DNC vice chair and the president of the Association of State Democratic Committees.
Kleeb noted that enshrining DNC neutrality was something that progressive Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., “and many other Dems across the ideological spectrum have repeatedly asked us to codify into our bylaws.”
Hogg, a survivor of the 2018 mass shooting at his high school in Parkland, Florida, and now a national anti-violence activist, is advocating to oust what he calls ineffective candidates from solid-blue districts. He wants to usher in fresh blood and generally younger candidates as part of a new effort from his PAC, Leaders We Deserve.
“There are old people who are great, there are young people who suck and vice versa. And I’m trying to explain to people that this is not an ax. We’re not just saying, ‘Screw all of them, let’s run against everybody,’” Hogg said. “We’re trying to be a scalpel here. And it’s not just, it’s not about being out with the old and in with the new. It’s about being out with the ineffective and in with the effective.”
Hogg often points to Democrats’ losing ground with voters. Last month, a CNN poll found Democrats hitting a record low 29% voter approval. A Harvard Youth poll this week found congressional Democrats had a 23% approval rating among young voters, a 19-point drop since 2017.
Hogg hasn’t hesitated to hit back at the incoming vitriol, including swiping at some sacred cows in the Democratic Party, among them veteran strategist James Carville, who last week called him a “twerp.” Hogg has dismissed many of the criticisms, pointing to the presidential loss as evidence that perhaps a new approach should be welcomed.
When Scripps asked Hogg about Carville’s insult, he responded that Carville — who made his name as a key strategist for Bill Clinton’s 1992 campaign — hadn’t won an election since before Hogg was born.
Hogg argues that the fallout over his proposal proves his points. The internal hubbub is a sign of a party in need of a jolt, and an effort to place a requirement for neutrality into the DNC bylaws illustrates that it isn’t there now — and therefore he hasn’t gone against rules dictating his duties, he said.
“It’s certainly a possibility, I’m sure,” Hogg told NBC News on Wednesday before news emerged that the DNC would discuss neutrality Thursday. “But that goes to the point that I’m saying how this is not a violation of the bylaws.”
“What I see here is that I am not in violation of the bylaws, and there is precedent for vice chairs being involved in primaries previously,” Hogg said, arguing that former vice chairs have backed incumbents in the past.
Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., has voiced strong backing for Hogg, including on X, where he recently said Hogg was doing “incredible work. He is supporting every frontline Dem & dems for state rep while also giving new candidates a chance to run in safe seats where we need change. Dems should embrace a new generation of leadership & competition!”
Another DNC member, labor leader Randi Weingarten, has also been outspoken about Hogg’s intention to challenge incumbents in safe areas.
“I support David’s efforts,” Weingarten said in a text Wednesday.
Hogg said that since all the attention last week, he has heard from hundreds of potential candidates who are interested in running. And he has seen an uptick in donations, though he didn’t specify amounts.
Carville says Hogg’s disparaging of the Democratic brand is overblown, saying the party’s rank and file aren’t happy with the direction of the last campaign.
“Of course people don’t like the Democratic Party, because we lost an election. I don’t like the Democratic Party — and I’m a Democrat — because I don’t like parties that lose elections,” Carville said.
Though he and Hogg have gone back and forth, mostly on TV, Carville said they probably do align on many issues. Carville, though, said that for all of Hogg’s talk, he would be impressed if Hogg’s efforts gained traction in battleground areas, like Virginia.
“See if they invite you to come in or invite you to send out fundraising appeals,” Carville said. “Don’t wait by the phone.”
