Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chairman Ken Martin on Thursday rebuked DNC Vice Chair David Hogg’s plan to fund primary challenges against some incumbents within his own party.
Hogg, a 25-year-old survivor of the Parkland High School shooting and one of the best-known DNC officials, and Leaders We Deserve, a progressive political organization founded by Hogg and others in 2023, announced the intention to primary Democrats on their website on April 15.
After Hogg came out as a leading proponent of the push, Martin was critical, saying that the DNC needed to be a “referee” with its officials remaining neutral on primary contests.
“Let me be unequivocal: No DNC officer should ever attempt to influence the outcome of a primary election, whether on behalf of an incumbent or a challenger,” Martin said during an appearance on Fox News.
“If you want to challenge incumbents, you’re more than free to do that, but just not as an officer of the DNC, because our job is to be neutral arbiters. We can’t be both the referee and also the player at the same time.”
Hogg took the opposite stance in an X thread on Thursday defending the push, saying that he could remain affiliated with the DNC in his official capacity while also working against Democratic incumbents that progressives perceive as weak.
“This moment requires us to have the strongest opposition party possible to stop [President Donald] Trump … and to provide a real alternative to the Republican Party for voters that we simply do not have right now,” Hogg said.
“As we’re seeing law firms, tech companies, and so many others bowing to Trump, we all must use whatever position of power we have to fight back. And that’s exactly what I’m doing.”
Hogg also said he isn’t breaking any rules by targeting certain Democratic incumbents for replacement.
“The role of the DNC is to set the Presidential primary calendar, set the Presidential debate schedule, to help strengthen our state parties, play a key role in building our data infrastructure for the party, and to be the campaign in waiting for whoever the next Democratic nominee is,” Hogg wrote. “Nothing I’m doing is at odds with any of that.”
Leaders We Deserve announced the push earlier this month, indicating that they were seeking a change in the status quo.
“Too many elected leaders in the Democratic Party are either unwilling or unable to meet the moment and are asleep at the wheel while Trump is demolishing the economy, challenging the foundations of our democracy, and creating new existential crises for our country by the day,” a page dedicated to the topic reads.
The group said Washington has an incumbent-favoring culture.
“Today’s party politics has an unwritten rule: if you win a seat, it’s yours for life. No one serious in your party will challenge you. That is a culture that we have to break.”
The organization is seeking to replace long-serving incumbents with new, younger Democrats—and have committed $20 million to that end.
“Younger leaders simply bring a different level of urgency that we just aren’t seeing in our politics right now,” the statement said, referencing young Democrats’ perception of urgency on issues like climate or gun control.
“Our politicians have failed to make [democracy] work for the people, and instead made it work for the special interests destroying our future.”
Democrats Search for Identity Post-Trump
The escalating feud fits into a larger identity crisis for the Democratic Party in the wake of Trump’s sweeping 2024 electoral victory, when he took all seven swing states as well as the popular vote.
Since then, Democrats have been scrambling to articulate their platform and stances amid Trump’s much more aggressive second term.
Meanwhile, young progressive Democrats—including figures like Hogg and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.)—have increasingly sought to assert a presence over the party.
At the end of the 117th Congress, mounting pressure from younger Democrats led three longtime House leaders—Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), and Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.), all of whom were octogenarians—to step down, making way for the ascent of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and other younger Democrats.
Ima Hogg (July 10, 1882 – August 19, 1975), known as “The First Lady of Texas”, was the daughter of James Stephen “Big Jim” Hogg, later attorney general and governor of the state. It was rumored that Hogg had a sister or sisters, whose names were suggested to be “Hoosa Hogg”, “Ura Hogg” or “Wera Hogg”, but she had only brothers, and obviously this DNC Chairman is a left wing fallen relation in both stupidity if not greed. He is pretending to be “King David” Hogg,,, King of the Democrat porkers. While A group of pigs is known as a drove or drift, this one is drifting so far to the left he will end up like the ones Jesus removed from an insane person and sent into a drove of Pigs who in true democrat fashion ran themselves over a cliff both in actions, and words, just like the mad angry Democrats with “Trump derangement syndrome” did in the last election, who with their own fists held high in a rebellious Hitler salute, accused Trump of being the NAZI. If this is the new generation of Democrat Party leadership they better learn to first conquer themselves and their own derangements before attempting to conquer the walking American successful sane, capable of governing themselves and their worst emotions.
““This moment requires us to have the strongest opposition party possible to stop [President Donald] Trump … and to provide a real alternative to the Republican Party for voters that we simply do not have right now,” Hogg said.
The Democrat Party and it’s radical destructive noise makers are NOT out for a unified and progressive country.
This treasonous, destructive Democrat Party is ONLY out for the themselves and the access of power over the people and retain it by any means available – No matter the costs to the people, the government, or the nation. 🙁 🙁 🙁
Every time i see that pic of hogg i keep wondering “WHERE IS THE PRESS CALLING THAT a nazi salute”???
“Hogg, a 25-year-old survivor of the Parkland High School shooting…”
If I recall correctly Hogg arrived after the shooting was over.
You recall correctly! Which means his self important claim to fame, much like many of Democrats qualifications for attention, is based on a lie.
Hogg was home and saw the attack on the school on the TV, jumped on his bike and peddled down to the school to firmly offer his “eyewitness” testimony and unsolicited opinions on the fault of all gunowners, somehow getting the lion’s share of the attention when all he was was a miserable unqualified, uninformed media hog.
He’s been able to drag out his 15 minutes of infamy to where he is now in an actual place where his actions could have serious consequences and ramifications.
Except people, even fellow Dems, seem to be having second thoughts about what this little blowhard seems to be advocating, and we can only hope young Master Hogg’s fifteen minutes is coming to long overdue conclusion.
Why bring facts into liberals feelings.
Actually that is a good idea, not only primary incumbent democrats but do it with MAGA candidates pretending to be democrats!! After all turn around is fair play!