Democratic Party chair lashes officer in leaked call, prompting more infighting

Washington Post

4 days ago

Months of infighting at the Democratic National Committee escalated into a new round of open warfare Sunday, with several top party officials accusing an embattled member of their leadership team of leaking a portion of a private and emotional meeting.
During a May 15 Zoom meeting, DNC Chair Ken Martin said he had recently questioned whether he wanted to continue in his role and blamed Vice Chair David Hogg for destroying his ability to lead the party, according to a portion of the audio posted by Politico.
After the leaked audio was published Sunday, five of the nine DNC leaders on the Zoom call at the time of the leaked clip closed ranks around Martin and accused Hogg, or people associated with him, of leaking it, in statements and interviews with The Washington Post. None provided evidence for their claims. Hogg denied leaking the audio.
The DNC officials who pointed fingers at Hogg included fellow vice chair Malcolm Kenyatta, who said Hogg 'proves he has no relationship with integrity if he's willing to record and leak private conversations'; Association of State Democratic Committees President Jane Kleeb, who said 'the deliberate leaking of private conversations — by David Hogg and his allies must stop'; and DNC Secretary Jason Rae, who said 'there is no doubt in my mind that David Hogg leaked this recording.'
'Does David Hogg benefit from this? Yes,' said Washington Democratic Chair Shasti Conrad, who would face Hogg if the DNC votes to hold a new election this week.
Martin declined to comment on the source of the leak, but said in a statement about the call that he is not going anywhere and that he took 'this job to fight Republicans, not Democrats.'
Hogg, who is facing a possible ouster this week as part of a separate dispute, denied leaking the audio in a statement posted on X on Sunday afternoon.
'A lot of people are accusing me of leaking this recording. These are the messages from the reporter who wrote the story,' said Hogg, who in his post shared a screenshot showing he did not appear to respond to texts from the reporter who broke the story contacting him for comment.
The open hostilities come as the party debates larger questions over rebuilding its reputation and winning back core voters following a disastrous 2024 election that saw Republicans win the presidency and both chambers of Congress. An April Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll found that Americans see the Democratic Party as somewhat more out of touch 'with the concerns of most people' than either President Donald Trump or the Republican Party.
The skirmish over the meeting and the leak is the latest in an increasingly bitter fight over Hogg's April announcement that he would back primary challengers to incumbent House Democrats. Some DNC members are uneasy with Hogg serving as a party officer while doing so, concerned that it gives the appearance that the DNC is interfering in primary contests. Martin has said he is committed to introducing a pledge that 'will require all party officers — including myself — to remain neutral in primaries' to 'ensure no party official can abuse their position to tilt the outcome of an election.'
In the May 15 Zoom meeting, Martin said 'I don't know if I want to do this anymore,' and told Hogg 'you essentially destroyed any chance I have to show the leadership that I need to.'
Hogg, a 25-year-old gun-control activist who survived the deadly 2018 school shooting in Parkland, Florida, was elected to his DNC role in February and is the first Gen Z member to serve as a vice chair. In April, he announced a $20 million effort to challenge 'out-of-touch, ineffective' incumbent House Democrats in party primaries, which he has framed as a way to get Democrats into 'fighting shape.' Hogg has said he would only back challengers in safe Democratic districts.
Critics of the effort have called it a distraction and argued that it will divert resources and distract from taking back control of the U.S. House.
Last month a DNC panel found that Hogg and Kenyatta were not properly elected earlier this year, setting off a process that could lead to their ouster. The challenge that prompted those findings, involving the party's gender diversity rules, came before Hogg's announcement that he would get involved in primaries. It was filed by Kalyn Free, an Oklahoma activist who unsuccessfully sought one of the vice chair slots in the Feb. 1 election.
But the primary debate has led some DNC members to view the vote as a convenient way to get rid of Hogg and the drama around him, while others have warned that his removal would send a bad message about the party's unity and outreach to young voters. Hogg, in a statement after the panel's decision, said it is 'impossible to ignore the broader context of my work to reform the party which loomed large over this vote.'
On Monday, the DNC will begin an electronic vote on the committee's resolution. If the full body accepts it, new elections will be held for two vice chair positions; if it's rejected, Hogg and Kenyatta will maintain their positions.
The new elections, which would begin later this week, would be limited to the same five candidates who ran in February: Hogg, Kenyatta, Free, Kansas Democratic Party Chair Jeanna Repass and Conrad.