Amid Bid to Oust Him, Hogg Quits DNC

Youthful gun-control activist David Hogg won’t run again to be a vice chair of the Democratic National Committee after members of the committee voted to redo the election that installed him.

Hogg, who gained prominence after surviving the deadly February 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, resigned from his post on Wednesday.

Hogg announced his decision after the DNC formally voted on Wednesday to restage the election that elevated him and Pennsylvania state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta to vice chairs of the national committee. Hogg and Kenyatta were elected to their roles this past February. 

“I came into this role to play a positive role in creating the change our party needs. It is clear that there is a fundamental disagreement about the role of a vice chair—and it’s OK to have disagreements. What isn’t OK is allowing this to remain our focus when there is so much more we need to be focused on,” Hogg said in a statement, adding:

Ultimately, I have decided to not run in this upcoming election so the party can focus on what really matters.

I need to do this work with Leaders We Deserve, and it is going to remain my No. 1 mission to build the strongest party possible.

Hogg is currently president of Leaders We Deserve, a political action committee that says it is “launching a $20 million investment to usher in the next generation of Democrats.”

DNC Chair Ken Martin released his own statement regarding Hogg’s decision.

“I commend 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,” Martin said. “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.”  

Some 89% of the DNC’s members participated in the virtual election to decide whether to let Hogg and Kenyatta retain their positions or to have another vote for their spots. By a tally of 294-99, or slightly less than 75%, the members decided to hold another election for the two vice chair positions. The vote was triggered by Oklahoma Democratic Committeewoman Kalyn Free who argued on procedural grounds that Hogg and Kenyatta had been improperly favored in the February election.

The move to oust Hogg, 25, after he reportedly declined to sign a party-primary neutrality policy promoted by Martin that would have prevented DNC officials from saying or doing anything that would “call into question their impartiality and evenhandedness.” 

Instead, Hogg announced that he would be targeting some incumbent Democrats in safely Democrat House districts. 

“[T]oo many people look at our party right now and feel like we want to roll over and die,” Hogg told The New York Times. 

The elections to replace Hogg and possibly Kenyatta will be held this week and next week.

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