Hogg offers new details on battle with DNC

Democratic activist David Hogg shed fresh light on his internal battle with the Democratic National Committee during his tenure as vice chair earlier this year at The Hill Nation Summit in Washington on Wednesday.

Hogg said he was ultimately given an ultimatum to do nothing with his group, Leaders We Deserve, and “collect a check” or keep his “largely ceremonial title” as vice chair at the DNC. 

“I want to say this publicly because I think I’m going to be vindicated in four years unfortunately,” Hogg told this reporter. “There have been vice chairs before that have had leadership PACs that have given to people in primaries, that have given to and against incumbents in primaries, and in the 107-plus years of the DNC, there has not been a bylaw that has been put into place that say to vice chairs you cannot be involved in primaries other than the presidential.” 

Hogg argued that his treatment by the DNC was effectively a “double standard” that was selectively enforced against him and warned that the “archaic” restrictions barring vice chairs from giving to candidates with their leadership PACs will ultimately come back to haunt the party. 

“When I talked to people in the DNC about a theoretical situation where a future president appoints, lets say a governor to be a vice chair, and that vice chair has a leadership pac, and they give to somebody in their own state whether it’s for an incumbent or against an incumbent with that leadership,” he explained. 

“Are you telling me that you’re expecting the future chair to go to the Democratic president of the United States or Democratic nominee and say, ‘I’m sorry Mr. or Mrs. President, your friend because of this archaic rule is no longer allowed to be a vice chair because they gave to somebody in their own state?’” he said. “And you know what the answer I got back was? I can’t speculate on the future.” 

Hogg launched Leaders We Deserve in an effort to elect a new generation of lawmakers and drew headlines for the group’s $20 million effort to primary safe House Democrats. The activist has repeatedly maintained that the group would not target House Democrats facing uphill reelection bids, also known as Frontline Members.

DNC Chair Ken Martin told reporters on a press call following the group’s effort that “no DNC officer should ever attempt to influence the outcome of a primary election.” 

“While certainly I understand what he’s trying to do, as I’ve said to him — if you want to challenge incumbents, you’re free to do that, just not as an officer of the DNC,” Martin said.

Martin emphasized at the time he has “great respect” for Hogg and referred to him as an “amazing young leader.”

Hogg left the DNC earlier this year after deciding not to run following a move to vacate his election over a procedural rule about gender diversity. 

Despite the disagreements between Hogg and Martin, Hogg said he thinks he still has “a good relationship” with the chair. 

“There’s obviously disagreements that we have at the end of the day,” Hogg said. “I still have enormous respect for all of my fellow vice chairs [and] for the other officers of the DNC.” 

“I just saw this as a strategic disagreement,” he continued. “I didn’t want to be in a position where it’s like oh I’m just going to keep this ceremonial role because I care so much about this title instead of actually doing what I felt was necessary in order to help create the change that I thought was desperately needed right now.” 

Hogg’s group has gotten mixed results in various special elections so far this year. In June, Leaders We Deserve backed Virginia state Del. Irene Shin (D) in the special Democratic primary for Virginia’s 11th congressional district, which was formerly held by the late Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.). Shin ultimately lost to Fairfax County Supervisor James Walkinshaw, who was Connolly’s former chief of staff. 

Gen Z influencer Deja Foxx, who was also backed by Hogg’s group, lost the special Democratic primary for the late Rep. Raul Grijalva’s (D-Ariz.) seat in Arizona’s 7th congressional district on Tuesday to Grijalva’s daughter, Adelita Grijalva. 

Hogg congratulated Grijalva on her win at Wednesday’s summit, calling her “an amazing progressive.” 

“I’m happy to see a progressive win that seat regardless,” he told this reporter. 

However, Hogg and Leaders We Deserve saw a massive win earlier this month when their endorsed candidate Zohran Mamdani defied expectations and won the Democratic primary in New York City’s mayoral race. 

Hogg hit back at the backlash Mamdani has faced following the win, calling it “racist.” 

“A lot of stuff that I think is very, you know, racist,” Hogg said at the summit. “A lot of times it wasn’t even focused on his actual policy, it was more focused on him and his identity.”

The comments came the same day Mamdani was meeting with Democrats in Washington, D.C., including progressives Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), who hosted a breakfast for the candidate. Hogg said that he and his group would most likely be involved in the general election. 

When asked what he is most hopeful about as a Democrat in Trump’s Washington, Hogg said: “The fact that I am going to outlive a lot of people who are against me.” 

“It’s just the truth,” he continued. “D.C. right now, with the number of older people who have just clung on to power for so long, it’s not nearly as dramatic as this, but it feels a little bit like the end of the Soviet Union.” 

Hogg predicted that there will be a “massive power vacuum.” 

“We’re going to challenge the status quo even if it’s a tough fight,” he said.