By David Hogg, the 25-year-old vice chair of the Democratic National Committee and a prominent progressive activist, has already begun causing major headaches for his party. Earlier in the week, he announced a plan to launch a bid to reshape the Democratic Party in his own far left image — not by going around the system, but by taking it on from within.
Through his political action group, Leaders We Deserve, Hogg is committing $20 million to support young Democratic candidates running in safely blue House districts — even when that means backing primary challengers against sitting members of Congress. The effort avoids competitive swing seats but strikes at the heart of an unwritten rule in party politics: don’t go after your own, writes Politico.
It’s an unprecedented, and controversial, move from a national officer within the Democratic Party that will enrage some insiders. Democratic Party committees, like the DNC, have traditionally not opposed incumbents in their own party, focusing instead on attacking Republicans, while the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is explicitly set up to protect incumbent members by providing resources, fundraising and strategy.
Hogg’s decision comes at a time when the Democratic Party is grappling with how to confront President Donald Trump — and with what kind of Democrats can be their most effective messengers against the administration. Democrats, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, have faced intense pressure from base voters to ramp up their opposition to Trump’s administration.
When asked if DNC Chair Ken Martin supports his plan, Hogg said Martin “certainly has different views” on challenging incumbents.
“There are disagreements in our party about the right way to approach this moment. There are certainly disagreements we have,” Hogg said. “What I will say about Chair Martin, even if we do have disagreements, he’s doing an excellent job of building and reforming our party.”
In a statement, Martin said that “in order to ensure we are as effective as possible at electing Democrats to office, it is the DNC’s longstanding position that primary voters — not the national party — determine their Democratic candidates for the general election.”
Hogg insists his push for generational turnover doesn’t amount to an attack on older lawmakers. He credits long-serving Democrats like former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Rep. Jan Schakowsky as effective leaders, despite both facing progressive challengers this year. Leaders We Deserve, he said, will stay out of those races.
He also pointed to recent polling showing Democratic voter enthusiasm dipping below 30 percent. The solution, he argues, isn’t moderation — it’s action.
A survivor of the 2018 Parkland school shooting, Hogg rose to national prominence as a gun control advocate and became a leading voice for youth-led activism. His election to the DNC vice chair position in February, with the backing of Tim Walz, surprised Democrats and Republicans alike.
“I’m not in this to bank political capital,” Hogg told Politico. “I just want to see a stronger Democratic Party.”
Hogg’s PAC has already caused a scandal in the party. A bombshell report revealed that he uses Leaders We Deserve to turn a profit, using DNC resources to benefit the political action committee rather than strengthening the party’s fundraising efforts.
The New York Post reported that “since the PAC was founded, Hogg has pocketed more than $175,000, records show, with more than $20,000 in salary payments coming in December alone, the most recent month for which public data is available.
While it’s not officially against the rules, personal PAC fundraising — instead of fundraising for the DNC — has rubbed some party brass the wrong way.
‘It’s especially important for all Democratic national officials to focus on raising support for the party and not using their position to raise money for themselves or their personal political PACS,’ groused a second senior Democratic Party official. ‘It’s a stunning lack of judgment that is concerning to many people.’”
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