Democratic frustration reaches boiling point over David Hogg

Yahoo

a day ago

Tensions are reaching a boiling point between David Hogg and Democratic National Committee (DNC) leadership as the organization moves to potentially redo Hogg's election as vice chair.
Leaked audio revealed DNC Chair Ken Martin venting his frustration with Hogg, who has come under fire from some within the party for his efforts to oust certain incumbents while serving as a DNC vice chair.
The leak occurred the day before DNC officials were set to vote virtually on whether to redo the vice-chair elections, a move that is technically unrelated to the controversy surrounding Hogg. And it has underscored the frustrations many in the party feel toward the 25-year-old gun control activist.
'David Hogg is one of the biggest distractions we've had and seen in our party,' said Democratic strategist Antjuan Seawright, who advised former DNC Chair Jaime Harrison and hopes Hogg loses his seat. 'I don't trust him and I don't think a lot of other people who are associated with the party should trust him.'
Hogg is rattling members of the party as he's showed no signs of reversing course on getting involved in Democratic primaries as a sitting DNC officer despite Martin and members of the party making clear their opposition to it.
That conflict came to a head last month when Martin expressed frustration with Hogg during a Zoom call with DNC officers, audio of which was leaked and subsequently reported by Politico over the weekend.
'I'm just quite frustrated to be in this position, because what you've done, whether you like it or not or know it or not, David, is I'm trying to — no one knows who the hell I am, right?' Martin said on the call, apparently addressing Hogg, according to audio published by the news outlet.
'I'm trying to get my sea legs underneath me and actually develop any amount of credibility so I can go out there and raise the money and do the job I need to, to put ourselves in a position to win,' he continued. 'And again, I don't think you intended this, but you essentially destroyed any chance I have to show the leadership that I need to, so it's really frustrating.'
Martin also suggested he had considered stepping down as chair serveral months into his tenure.
'I'm not going anywhere,' he later said in a statement following the publication of the audio. 'I took this job to fight Republicans, not Democrats. As I said when I was elected, our fight is not within the Democratic Party, our fight is and has to be solely focused on Donald Trump and the disastrous Republican agenda. That's the work that I will continue to do every day.'
A number of DNC officers have also expressed their support for Martin following the Politico report, with some criticizing Hogg over the controversy.
'We have a lot of work to do as a party, and Chair Martin is doing it,' said Stuart Appelbaum, a DNC associate chair, in a statement. 'I have total confidence in his leadership.'
Meanwhile, Hogg has sought to distance himself from the leaked audio and its release in a post on the social platform X. In a separate post he suggested the call is a distraction that would only help Republicans.
'Republicans want us turning on each other so they can continue getting away with this. While Chair Martin and I have had our disagreements we are both in this to build the strongest party possible,' Hogg wrote. 'Our nation is in a moment of crisis and the people are looking for us to lead. This is a distraction that prevents us from doing that. Do not help the GOP.'
A representative for Hogg did not respond to The Hill's request for comment.
The situation has left Democrats feeling frustrated and furious, with some saying the controversy is creating a distraction just as party officials are grappling with how to respond to Trump's deployment of the military to California amid immigration-related protests. Meanwhile, the party is gearing up for the midterms, when it hopes to flip the House and possibly even the Senate.
'It shows that we're no different than [Republicans] and it shows that we haven't learned lessons from the past,' Seawright said. 'We've seen what happens when you are not unified. We've seen what happens when there's in-party fighting. We've seen what happens when selfish people try to poke their selfish heads up to make headlines instead of headway.'
And while some members of the party agree with the idea that the party needs to make room for generational change or challenge ineffective members, they take issue with Hogg's decision to try to do so as an officer of the national party.
'By and large, even the most hardcore centrist, moderate Democrats in [a] roundabout way, agree with what he's doing. There are some Democrats that need to get primaried or at [least] challenged, right? That's fine,' said John Verdejo, a DNC member from North Carolina. 'Everyone agrees with him on paper, but now … you're a DNC vice chair.'
One Democratic strategist who spoke on condition of anonymity said Hogg is 'over his skis.'
'We are relying on the experience of a gun violence prevention activist, now Democratic Party leader, three years out of college,' the strategist said. '[Hogg] does not have the shared experience of Ken and others on that call.'
'It's hard to not look at this and say this is someone who is clearly trying to build their profile,' the strategist added.
Hogg explicitly noted that his group Leaders We Deserve would not target front-line members in competitive districts.
Happening in tandem is the vote over whether the DNC should redo its vice chair elections after Oklahoma DNC member Kalyn Free contested the way the initial vice chair elections were conducted in February. The challenge over the DNC vice chair election was initiated before Hogg announced he would be wading into Democratic primaries.
The virtual vote is taking place between Monday and Wednesday of this week; if DNC members decide to redo the vote, two separate virtual votes will be held for the spots currently held by Hogg and Pennsylvania state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta.
Some members are reconsidering how they might cast their vote in light of the leaked audio and the controversy that's ensued.
Michael Kapp, a DNC member from California who sits on the DNC Credentials Committee, noted that he was one of the most vocal members of the committee to protect Hogg's and Kenyatta's seats and was against the resolution to consider redoing the vice chair election.
'Up until yesterday, I've been very consistent that I was going to vote no on the Credentials Committee report. I voted no on it in committee, I was planning on voting against it,' Kapp said.
'Now, I'm reconsidering that position, because I don't believe that we should have officers who are leaking private conversations between officers,' he added.
The anonymous Democratic strategist warned that voting Hogg out of his post could elevate Hogg as a martyr of sorts.
'There is going to be a lot of backlash if he's forced out of his position,' the strategist said. 'You think he's making noise now? Holy cow, we're not going to hear the end of it.'
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