David Hogg went out swinging as he accused his former colleagues at the Democratic National Committee of being “asleep at the wheel” as he left his leadership role within the party.
Hogg, 25, said Wednesday he will not fight to hold onto his leadership role after igniting a firestorm over his push to target long-serving Democrats in safe congressional seats.
In a thread on X, Hogg also said that his political action committee would become “the Emily’s list for progressive young Democrats.” A reference to the advocacy group for Democratic female candidates.
“We’ve sought to find the best of the best of our generation and do everything we can to help them run the best campaigns possible and get the financial support they need to win,” he wrote.
“After seeing a serious lack of vision from Democratic leaders, too many of them asleep at the wheel, and Democrats dying in office that have helped to hand Republicans an expanded majority,” Hogg concluded.
Hogg announced his retreat hours after the DNC removed him and another officer, Pennsylvania state lawmaker Malcolm Kenyatta, from their vice chair roles, stating that the February elections they won did not comply with the party’s rules. Hogg said he will not run in the redo elections to be held over the weekend.
With dejected Democrats looking for a path back to relevance after a disastrous 2024 election, Hogg said earlier this year that he plans to raise millions of dollars through Leaders We Deserve.
He says the party needs a shake-up to bring in leaders who will more aggressively confront Trump and connect with younger voters and offer an inspiring new vision for a party voters are rejecting. The push rankled many Democrats, who said DNC officers should be focused on defeating Republicans, not sowing division among Democrats.
In April, DNC Chair Ken Martin proposed bylaw changes to require party officers to remain neutral in all Democratic primaries. Party neutrality is crucial to maintaining the confidence of voters, he argued, pointing to the bitter feud that emerged after supporters of Sen. Bernie Sanders’ 2016 campaign believed he was stymied by party insiders putting their thumb on the scale in favor of Hillary Clinton, who won the nomination but went on to lose the general election to Donald Trump.
Martin paid tribute to Hogg on Wednesday, “commend[ing] David for his years of activism, organizing, and fighting for his generation, and while I continue to believe he is a powerful voice for this party, I respect his decision to step back from his post as Vice Chair.”
“I have no doubt that he will remain an important advocate for Democrats across the map. I appreciate his service as an officer, his hard work, and his dedication to the party,” he said.
Hogg rose to prominence as a gun-control advocate after surviving the 2018 school shooting in Parkland, Florida.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
