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The Hill
17-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
DNC infighting threatens to throw party into ‘chaos'
Infighting at the Democratic National Committee (DNC) is threatening to consume Democratic leadership just as the midterms are starting to kick into gear. The tensions come after a DNC panel moved forward this week with the potential ouster of two elected officials, including gun control activist David Hogg. Now officials find themselves in a war of words over the issues at play, with Hogg alleging the move is a sign of party insiders seeking to force him out over his calls for supporting primary challengers to certain incumbents. Though others at the DNC deny the vote was related to Hogg's efforts, the feud is stirring up drama that Democrats want to avoid as they focus on regaining control of the House and possibly flipping the Senate next year. 'I hate to be the party of chaos when the GOP is doing such a good job of it,' Democratic consultant Marj Halperin said. 'This isn't the priority voters want the DNC to be focused on.' Pressure had been bubbling up for weeks, even before the DNC's Credentials Committee voted Monday in favor of holding a new election for the two positions that Hogg and Pennsylvania state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta currently hold. Hogg, who was elected to one of the DNC's vice chair positions in February, first sparked controversy last month when he indicated that his group, Leaders We Deserve, would launch a $20 million effort to back primary challenges to incumbent House Democrats in safe seats. He emphasized that the group wouldn't target Democrats running in competitive districts or those who have been effective at standing up to President Trump. 'The reality is you should not be worried about this if you are a member of Congress if you are effective like [Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.)], for example, or [Rep.] Nancy Pelosi [D-Calif.],' he told The Hill at the time. 'What we are looking at is places where the elected official has not done a great job being effective against Trump.' But that met opposition from DNC Chair Ken Martin, who said shortly after that all DNC officials should remain neutral in primaries, saying Hogg is free to challenge incumbents but not as a DNC officer. He also said he has 'great respect' for Hogg as an 'amazing young leader.' Hogg argued in response that he wasn't violating any DNC rules. But these tensions look poised to come to a head following the Credentials Committee's vote, which was in favor of a complaint from a losing candidate for a vice chair position who argued the election procedure violated DNC rules. The entire DNC membership must vote to determine whether to redo the election in the coming months. The complaint was filed shortly after the election — well before the controversy surrounding Hogg — but he has argued the development needs to be viewed in the context of the latest developments, saying his work to reform the party 'loomed large over this vote.' But that has sparked pushback from some — including Kenyatta, the other vice chair — who maintain that the decision is not about Hogg and that he's trying to make the story about himself. Democrats said regardless of who is right, the bickering isn't a good look for the party as it needs to present a unified message opposing the Republicans' agenda. Democratic strategist Max Burns said he expects the public will likely view it as the DNC pushing out Hogg, but the broader issue is with the confusion over the DNC's rules. 'The reality is that the DNC's rules have clearly become so confusing that not even senior officials have any idea how to understand them,' he said. He warned the infighting could become an issue for those on both sides of the argument, as young people and Democrats who were considering getting more involved in the party could be turned off, creating a 'negative image all around.' 'The result is that it just becomes such an unattractive proposition for people to get involved with,' Burns said. 'It hurts the party on an infrastructural level when your operation looks this scattershot.' Even as the direct issue has just focused on internal party positions, the debate has broader implications and has stirred strong emotions. Adam Green, the co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, said the takeaway that people will have is the party is targeting a 'young vibrant force in the party' who is trying to make it 'bolder.' 'That's the tragedy of Ken Martin picking a fight with David Hogg,' he said. 'Most people's impression of the Democratic Party is that it's defending a broken status quo and failing to shake up a broken political and economic system,' Green said. Kenyatta has denounced Hogg's framing of the issue, arguing he has a 'casual relationship with the truth.' He said Hogg's statements about the DNC's move pushed him 'over the edge' despite wanting to avoid adding to party infighting. 'But David's first statement out of the gate was, 'Here's the Democratic Party doing some maniacal thing to push me out' because of what he's doing with his PAC,' Kenyatta said. 'David knows that that is not true.' Hogg in an interview with The Washington Post said he doesn't take the criticism of him personally and what's happening is just about differing tactics. 'This is purely about a strategic disagreement, and should be treated as such, because we're all on the same side here. It's about, how do we create the strongest Democratic Party possible?' Meanwhile, Martin has expressed optimism about the party's recent wins in competitive races, making a subtle reference to the drama while pointing to Democrat John Ewing Jr.'s ousting of a three-term incumbent Republican mayor in Omaha. 'A lotta people in DC want to win the argument. I want to win elections,' he said Wednesday in a post on social platform X. 'Last night's huge victory in Omaha speaks to the power of 'organizing everywhere' — our new mission at the DNC.' Democratic strategist Matt Grodsky said he isn't as worried about the turmoil leading to a wider issue for Democrats broadly, saying most people living their daily lives aren't concerned with such fighting. 'At the end of the day, when it comes to the midterms, and if things stay the way they are, they're going to have two options. Do we want to continue with what Republicans are offering, or we want to go with what Democrats are offering?' Grodsky said. 'And I don't think that the intraparty fighting is going to be a big factor in that.' But he added that the longer the focus is on 'little fights and spats,' the harder it will be for the party to be able to focus on fundraising and candidate recruitment. The strategists all expressed some amount of sympathy with Hogg's broader effort to support younger challengers to longtime incumbents but said the DNC needs to be focused. Halperin said the party should focus on broader strategies to try to move forward, looking at the long-term incumbents and if they genuinely have support from their districts. She said the answer will vary from district to district, but the listening needs to come from outside the 'inner circle.' 'It sort of looks like we're going to talk internally and get our house in order the way we think it should be, then we'll be ready to go and talk to voters,' she said. 'I think that's backwards.'
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Malcolm Kenyatta: David Hogg has ‘very casual relationship with the truth'
Democratic National Committee (DNC) Vice Chair Malcolm Kenyatta slammed his fellow vice chair, David Hogg, on Wednesday, disputing the reason the gun control activist has said is why they may need to run for their positions again. Kenyatta argued in an interview on MSNBC that he has tried to ignore what Hogg has been saying recently to avoid party infighting and division, but Hogg's statement after the DNC's Credentials Committee voted in favor of holding a new vice chair election 'pushed me over the edge.' 'David has a very casual relationship with the truth,' he told host Symone Sanders Townsend. 'And he has not been truthful on so many points that have been raised on this show.' The Pennsylvania state legislator added that he's 'frustrated' with the decision to hold the election again given that he received considerably more votes than necessary to clinch one of the vice chair positions, but he respects it. 'But David's first statement out of the gate was, here's the Democratic Party doing some maniacal thing to push me out because of what he's doing with his PAC,' Kenyatta said. 'David knows that that is not true.' 'And so for all of the people who have, like I had, really high hopes for what David could bring for this party and who are now looking at the message that he's been pushing out and the emails that they have been getting from him about how he wants to reform the party, you have to be honest with people,' he added. The comments came after the Credentials Committee voted on Monday to support nullifying the results of the February election that made Hogg and Kenyatta vice chairs. The decision came as a result of a complaint that a losing candidate for a vice chair position had filed months earlier challenging the procedure in which the election was held. That candidate, Kalyn Free, argued that having a combined ballot for both positions rather than holding the elections separately violated the DNC's rules, to which the committee agreed. A full vote of the DNC is necessary for a new election to be held. But Hogg argued that the decision must be viewed in the context of the backlash he's received for his group, Leaders We Deserve, calling for primary challenges to longtime Democratic incumbents serving in safe Democratic districts. He's called for generational change among Democratic leaders and said he is not supporting challenges to those serving in battleground districts or who have adequately stood up to President Trump. The move has sparked considerable pushback within the party, with DNC Chair Ken Martin calling for DNC officers to maintain neutrality in primaries. Kenyatta noted that Hogg said the party is trying to oust him from his position, but the complaint was filed well before he signaled his group would push to primary incumbents. He said the reason this happened now is because the party has due process that allows losing candidates to submit appeals and for him and Hogg to respond. 'I know that this party has to change. It has to change in massive ways. And I did not run because I thought everything was going great. I ran because I thought that we needed to be a Democratic Party that, as I have said now, is focused on working people, working families, and how we're going to make their lives better,' he said. 'That's what we should be doing. That's what I have tried to do.' Hogg told The Washington Post in an interview that he wouldn't engage in a 'back-and-forth about this' and that he doesn't take what people say personally, 'even if they try to make it personal.' 'This is purely about a strategic disagreement, and should be treated as such, because we're all on the same side here. It's about, how do we create the strongest Democratic Party possible?' he said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
15-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Malcolm Kenyatta: David Hogg has ‘very casual relationship with the truth'
Democratic National Committee (DNC) Vice Chair Malcolm Kenyatta slammed his fellow vice chair, David Hogg, on Wednesday, disputing the reason the gun control activist has said is why they may need to run for their positions again. Kenyatta argued in an interview on MSNBC that he has tried to ignore what Hogg has been saying recently to avoid party infighting and Democrats divided, but Hogg's statement after the DNC's Credentials Committee voted in favor of holding a new vice chair election 'pushed me over the edge.' 'David has a very casual relationship with the truth,' he told host Symone Sanders Townsend. 'And he has not been truthful on so many points that have been raised on this show.' The Pennsylvania state legislator added that he's 'frustrated' with the decision to hold the election again given that he received considerably more votes than necessary to clinch one of the vice chair positions, but he respects it. 'But David's first statement out of the gate was, here's the Democratic Party doing some maniacal thing to push me out because of what he's doing with his PAC,' Kenyatta said. 'David knows that that is not true.' 'And so for all of the people who have, like I had, really high hopes for what David could bring for this party and who are now looking at the message that he's been pushing out and the e-mails that they have been getting from him about how he wants to reform the party, you have to be honest with people,' he added. The comments came after the Credentials Committee voted on Monday to support nullifying the results of the February election that made Hogg and Kenyatta vice chairs. The decision came as a result of a complaint that a losing candidate for a vice chair position had filed months earlier challenging the procedure in which the election was held. That candidate, Kalyn Free, argued that having a combined ballot for both positions rather than holding the elections separately violated the DNC's rules, to which the committee agreed. A full vote of the DNC is necessary for a new election to be held. But Hogg argued that the decision must be viewed in the context of the backlash he's received for his group, Leaders We Deserve, calling for primary challenges to longtime Democratic incumbents serving in safe Democratic districts. He's called for generational change among Democratic leaders and said he is not supporting challenges to those serving in battleground districts or who have adequately stood up to President Trump. The move has sparked considerable pushback within the party, with DNC Chair Ken Martin calling for DNC officers to maintain neutrality in primaries. Kenyatta noted that Hogg said the party is trying to oust him from his position, but the complaint was filed well before he signaled his group would push to primary incumbents. He said the reason this happened now is because the party has due process that allows losing candidates to submit appeals and for him and Hogg to respond. 'I know that this party has to change. It has to change in massive ways. And I did not run because I thought everything was going great. I ran because I thought that we needed to be a Democratic Party that, as I have said now, is focused on working people, working families, and how we're going to make their lives better,' he said. That's what we should be doing. That's what I have tried to do.' Hogg told The Washington Post in an interview that he wouldn't engage in a 'back and forth about this' and that he doesn't take what people say personally, 'every if they try to make it personal.' 'This is purely about a strategic disagreement, and should be treated as such, because we're all on the same side here. It's about, how do we create the strongest Democratic Party possible?' he said.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
David Hogg slams 'fast-track' effort to oust him as DNC vice chair
Democratic National Committee (DNC) Vice Chair David Hogg on Monday slammed the Credentials Committee's decision to elevate a procedural challenge to his leadership position as the "first steps to remove me from my position," amid an ongoing intraparty dispute. "While this vote was based on how the DNC conducted its officers' elections, which I had nothing to do with, it is also impossible to ignore the broader context of my work to reform the party which loomed large over this vote," Hogg said, as he described a country "in crisis" and a Democratic Party "asleep at the wheel." "I ran to be DNC Vice Chair to help make the Democratic Party better, not to defend an indefensible status quo that has caused voters in almost every demographic group to move away from us. The DNC has pledged to remove me, and this vote has provided an avenue to fast-track that effort," Hogg said after the DNC Credentials Committee voted on Monday to elevate a vote challenging the vice chairs' leadership positions. Kalyn Free, a longtime Democratic Party activist, submitted a complaint following the DNC's Feb. 1 officer elections, in which Hogg and Malcolm Kenyatta were elected vice chairs. Free alleged in her complaint that the DNC's tabulation method violated the charter's provision and parliamentary procedure and "discriminated against three women of color candidates." David Hogg Faces Challenge To Dnc Role As Party Tensions Escalate "I am disappointed to learn that before I became Chair, there was a procedural error in the February Vice Chair elections. The Credentials Committee has issued their recommendation, and I trust that the DNC Members will carefully review the Committee's resolution and resolve this matter fairly," DNC Chairman Ken Martin said in a statement following the credentials vote. Read On The Fox News App Democrats' Vice Chair Gets Ultimatum: Stay Neutral In Primaries Or Step Down From Party Leadership The Credentials Committee on Monday found the Feb. 1 election violated parliamentary procedure and voted to recommend the DNC conduct a new election for the two vice-chair positions currently held by Kenyatta and Hogg. The full DNC will now have an opportunity to vote, and if approved, will conduct a re-election. One vice-chair position may be filled by a male and one may be a candidate of any gender, according to the DNC. If the DNC goes through with a re-vote, only the candidates who were eligible for the third ballot during the Feb. 1 election will qualify, which includes Kenyatta, Hogg, Free, Jeanna Repass and Shasti Conrad. While Free's complaint was filed before Hogg stirred up DNC division for his brutal plan to primary incumbent Democrats in deep blue districts, the fallout is the latest blow to the young Democratic leader. Hogg pledged to donate $20 million through his political action committee, Leaders We Deserve, to primary challenge some older Democrats in blue districts. Soon after, Martin affirmed that the DNC would stay neutral in intraparty primaries, giving Hogg the ultimatum to either rescind his vice-chair position or forego his political influence via his PAC. Now, Hogg is framing the DNC's vote as an expedited plan to remove him as vice chair. But DNC officials, past and present, said the procedural vote has nothing to do with Hogg personally. "This is not about David Hogg, despite what he's saying. It is gender balance.... It's in the rules that the officers need to be balanced between men and women. The full DNC now gets to vote again. If they like what Hogg is doing then that's great, and he'll be re-elected. It was disingenuous to not reveal his intentions the first time before they voted. While it has nothing to do with him, it's an elected position so now we'll find out if the party supports it or not, which they very well may," a former DNC official told Fox News Digital. An additional former DNC official added in a statement to Fox News Digital that "either Hogg is wrong and misled members or they think he's doing the right thing. Either way, it'll be settled. And he can't complain. A re-vote is not forcing him out, there are other ways to do that if they chose to." Kenyatta, in a series of social media posts, said "any reporter covering this as party retribution against David is full of s---. It is unfortunate as I believe we both won fairly & there is no charge that we acted improperly." "However, any story about this that neatly places this into a narrative about David Hogg is wrong. I worked my a-- off to get this role and have done the job every day since I've held it. This story is complex, and I'm frustrated – but it's not about @davidhogg111. Even though he clearly wants it to be," Kenyatta said in a jab to his fellow vice chair facing potential re-election. In a statement to Fox News Digital, Free said the Credentials Committee lived up to the DNC's reputation as "the party of free and fair elections" on Monday, and proved that "protecting democracy is more important than saving face." "This was never about Malcolm Kenyatta or David Hogg," Free said. "For me, this was about ensuring that the Democratic Party lives up to our ideals as the only political party to believe in and stand up for election integrity and a free and fair democracy."Original article source: David Hogg slams 'fast-track' effort to oust him as DNC vice chair
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
DNC moves toward nullifying election of David Hogg, Malcolm Kenyatta as vice chairs
The Democratic National Committee (DNC) has taken a first step toward possibly requiring a new election for two of its vice chairs, including David Hogg, who has stirred controversy with his call for primary challenges to longtime incumbents in safe seats. The DNC's Credentials Committee voted Monday to nullify the results of the February election in which Hogg and Pennsylvania state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta won two of the three vice chair positions. The vote followed a procedural complaint that one of the losing candidates made challenging the way the election was determined. But internal strife has dominated much of the past month of Hogg's DNC tenure. Hogg's group, Leaders We Deserve, launched a $20 million effort in mid-April to advance more than a dozen primary challenges against Democratic members of Congress to bring in a new generation to serve. He's said sitting members in competitive districts and those in safe districts who have been effective at standing up to President Trump would not be targeted, but his move has still caused plenty of backlash within the party. DNC Chair Ken Martin said following Hogg's announcement that no DNC officer should try to influence a primary. But party leaders have said the vote Monday was about the procedural issue, not other considerations. Christine Pelosi, the daughter of Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and a member of the Credentials Committee, said in a post on the social platform X that the first vice chair, Artie Blanco, was elected with a clear majority, but Kenyatta and Hogg were elected on a combined ballot. One of the losing candidates, Kalyn Free, issued a complaint alleging conducting the election on a combined ballot violated the DNC's rules. The younger Pelosi said she called for upholding the election results but addressing the issue for future elections, but her proposal fell short of a majority vote of the committee, which eventually voted to recommend the DNC hold new ballots for Hogg and Kenyatta's vice chair positions. The full membership of the DNC will need to vote on the proposal for a new election to be held. 'Meanwhile, Malcolm Kenyatta and David Hogg continue to serve as DNC Vice Chairs,' Pelosi said. 'And I think I speak for all of us on the Committee when I say I hope both of these talented individuals put their names on the ballot again.' Hogg denounced the move in a statement, saying the DNC had taken its first steps to remove him from his position. 'While this vote was based on how the DNC conducting its officers' elections, which I had nothing to do with, it is also impossible to ignore the broader context of my work to reform the party which loomed large over this vote,' he wrote. Hogg added that the DNC made clear its plans to remove him from his position in declaring its 'neutrality' stance in primaries, but he argued party committees such as the Senate and House Democrats' campaign arms regularly get involved in primaries. 'The DNC has pledged to remove me, and this vote has provided an avenue to fast-track that effort,' he said. Kenyatta posted on X that he disagreed with the ruling but respects the committee's decision. But he challenged the idea it is about Hogg, noting the challenge from Free was brought well before the 25-year-old — who entered the spotlight as a survivor of the 2018 Parkland school shooting — announced his primary plan. 'The credentials committee believed, as they stated, that they are remedying a procedural flaw. But doing so the way they did, is a slap in my face. I'm frustrated, but I'll be ok,' Kenyatta wrote in the post. 'However any story about this, that neatly places this into a narrative about David Hogg is wrong,' he continued. 'I worked my a‑‑ off to get this role and have done the job every day since I've held it.' Kenyatta also made a pointed comment at Hogg, arguing he wants the story to be about him. 'This story is complex and I'm frustrated — but it's not about @davidhogg111. Even though he clearly wants it to be,' he said. The DNC said in a release that the committee found their elections violated parliamentary procedure, but both Hogg and Kenyatta would be eligible to run again for their positions. A few other candidates, including Free, would also be eligible. 'I am disappointed to learn that before I became Chair, there was a procedural error in the February Vice Chair elections. The Credentials Committee has issued their recommendation, and I trust that the DNC Members will carefully review the Committee's resolution and resolve this matter fairly,' Martin said in a statement. 'I thank all of our officers for their service, including Vice Chairs Kenyatta and Hogg, and look forward to continuing to work with them in their officer posts as this matter is resolved,' he added. Updated at 11:24 a.m. EDT. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
