David Hogg said he will not seek to win election this week due to what he called "clear fundamental disagreements" with the Democratic National Committee, whose officers voted Wednesday to remove him and another vice chair from their positions.
Hogg served as a vice chair of the DNC this year, but his tenure was mired by controversy after he said he planned to support primary challenges against incumbent Democratic lawmakers through his organization, Leaders We Deserve. Hogg said in April that the group that he co-founded, Leaders We Deserve, planned to spend $20 million to oust Democrats in primaries that they felt were "asleep at the wheel."
The move led to an intense internal party clash. Following a vote to redo the DNC vice chair elections, Hogg said he would not seek reelection and that he stepped down from his post.
In an emailed statement through his organization, Hogg said he was stepping down to focus on supporting certain candidates in Democratic primaries, according to ABC News. He said there was "a clear fundamental disagreement" between him and the party about the role of vice chair.
"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 okay to have disagreements," Hogg said.
He added: "What isn't okay is allowing this to remain our focus when there is so much more we need to be focused on. 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 number one mission to build the strongest party possible."
Hogg became a nationally known activist and political organizer after surviving the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.