WASHINGTON, DC - March 22, 2023: Gun safety activist and Parkland school shooting survivor David Hogg speaks outside the U.S. Capitol about the proposed Office of Gun Violence Prevention Act. (Photo credit: Philip Yabut / Shutterstock)
After months of controversy, Democratic National Committee officers have voted to remove two vice chairs from their positions, including a 25-year-old youth activist who has formed the basis of months of controversy, Politico reported on Wednesday evening.
This decision by party insiders "offers a potential reset for a party that’s dealt with a series of Hogg-related controversies in recent weeks," noted the report. "In April, Hogg announced the group that he co-founded, Leaders We Deserve, planned to drop $20 million on safe-seat Democratic primaries, hoping to oust 'asleep-at-the-wheel' Democrats. The move triggered a wave of anger from elected officials and DNC members alike, who vented that Hogg’s role as a party leader conflicted with the decision to take on incumbents."
This controversy, which saw him feuding with veteran strategists like James Carville, was further compounded after leaked audio revealed DNC chair Ken Martin bemoaning to Hogg that he “essentially destroyed any chance I have” to steer the narrative for the party's future. Senior Democratic leaders have accused Hogg of leaking the clip to the press, which he has denied.
The actual vote was not based on Hogg's activities, but rather a procedural complaint that the election of Hogg and another vice chair, Pennsylvania state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, did not follow the DNC's diversity rules.
Hogg and Kenyatta now have to run again for their offices, the report continued: "the DNC will hold a new elections for the two vice chair roles — the vote for the new male vice chair will take place from June 12 to June 14 and then vote for a second vice chair of any gender from June 15 to June 17."
Hogg's effort to primary Democratic Party officials comes amid a broader debate within the party over how seniority should work, the advanced age of many of the party's most important elected officials, and how effectively Democrats are representing younger voters upon whose turnout they rely.