David Hogg's exit from DNC stirs mixed reaction

The Hill

20 hours ago

David Hogg's decision to forgo running again as a vice chair for the Democratic National Committee (DNC) has generated mixed emotions among committee members.
While some members were relieved, saying the controversy around Hogg's decision as a sitting DNC officer to primary incumbents created a distraction for the party, others voiced surprise or disappointment over the move announced Wednesday.
The split may be an amicable one: Some Democrats said they'd welcome Hogg to work with the DNC after his exit.
'I think the overall sense is relief that we can finally move on from what has truly been a distraction from the good work that needs to be done to build up our party infrastructure and take the fight to Republicans each and every day and to make the case to American people that Democrats are able and willing to stand up for American values,' noted Michael Kapp, a DNC committee member from California.
Earlier Wednesday, a majority of DNC members voted to redo its vice chair election of Hogg and Pennsylvania state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta
The vote stemmed from a challenge by Oklahoma DNC member Kalyn Free, who had lost a bid for DNC vice chair. She alleged that the way the election was conducted unfairly advantaged the male vice chair candidates. The DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee last month determined the entire body would vote on redoing the election.
That challenge ran in tandem with a separate firestorm Hogg initiated when he announced he would be getting involved in primarying members of Congress in safe seats who he believed were ineffective.
But that decision rankled members, including DNC Chair Ken Martin, who said he believed Hogg shouldn't be doing so while also serving as a DNC officer.
Tensions came to a head this week, when leaked audio of a May Zoom DNC officers call, which was reported by Politico over the weekend, showed Martin expressing frustration with Hogg.
The fallout from the leaked audio prompted some members to reconsider how they might vote over redoing the vice chair election.
After Wednesday's committee vote, Hogg said he would bow out of another DNC election to focus his attention on his work around his group Leaders We Deserve.
'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 number one mission to build the strongest party possible,' he said in his statement.
Martin, in a statement, said he respected Hogg's decision and suggested the gun control activist would play a prominent role still within the party.
'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,' Martin said.
A source close to the DNC suggested the controversy swirling around Hogg didn't impact the party's mechanics but created an unnecessary distraction.
'It didn't sidetrack the work that mattered, but even a second spent talking about it was a second wasted that Democrats should've spent fighting Trump's bill to take health care away from millions of people,' the source said. 'David finally seemed to realize that.'
John Verdejo, a DNC committee member from North Carolina, said he didn't expect Hogg's decision to forgo reelection.
'I was surprised and taken aback that he would decide not to run after the votes came in,' Verdejo said; he noted some members were relieved.
Howard Chou, a DNC committee member from Colorado, noted he was 'indifferent' about whether he wanted to see Hogg run again. Still, he noted it was a 'loss' for members, saying, 'I'm a little bit disappointed all around because I really wanted to see his energy and leadership contribute to our success.'
'It's unfortunate that he decided to pull out,' said Clay Middleton, a DNC committee member from South Carolina, who suggested 'he would not have been able to face some of the questions again' during the second campaign for the job. Hogg's team declined to comment on that remark.
Meanwhile, Kenyatta is on a glide path to being reelected DNC vice chair this week. Still, the Pennsylvania lawmaker has been candid that the process has been frustrating.
'Of course I'm frustrated, but I'm still here because I understand what is at stake,' Kenyatta told The Hill.
Kenyatta said he's been busying traveling, to nine states and Germany. And in his role, he said he wants to see the party make races more competitive.
'That is my dream, that there is not a single race that does not have a Democrat on the ballot…,' he said.
As for Hogg, Kenyatta has said he didn't want to see the gun control activist leave the DNC and 'be the leader that we deserved.'
Hogg has made it clear he'll focus on his group and challenging ineffective members of Congress, noting there's been 'a serious lack of vision from Democratic leaders, too many of them asleep at the wheel' while others have died while in office.
Many Democrats, even DNC members, also agree with the notion that the party should be making way for generational change and challenging members who are ineffective, though many have disagreed with the tactic to do so from the perch of the DNC.
Hogg's efforts come amid a party struggling to figure out how to counter Trump and land on the same page around messaging heading into 2026 and 2028.
Despite the controversy, however, some members say they'd welcome collaborating with Hogg in the future.
'I personally would have open arms to have him contribute, collaborate with us,' Chou said.