Democrats are “failing to meet the moment,” Democratic National Committee (DNC) Vice Chair David Hogg warns as the party battles internally amid record low approval ratings and uncertainty in leadership.
Newsweek reached out to the DNC via online form for comment Thursday night.
Why It Matters
Democrats have seemingly been in disarray since losing the White House, Senate and Congress after the 2024 presidential election. Uproar over certain policies and uncertainty about which figureheads to rally behind within the party have frayed internal cohesion.
It is unclear whom the party will look to take the reins, as polling shows former Vice President Kamala Harris leading the pack of potential presidential 2028 candidates, followed by New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, California Governor Gavin Newsom and former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
What To Know
While speaking with CNN‘s Kaitlan Collins on Thursday, Hogg was asked about a new initiative he is backing, urging his party to primary Democratic incumbent candidates.
The initiative sparked division at the DNC, as Chair Ken Martin said no DNC official should attempt to influence the outcome of a primary election. According to the Associated Press, Martin said he will draw up a bylaw requiring DNC staff to remain neutral.
If the bylaw passes, Hogg said, it would effectively force him out. “I believe if they pass this, they are going to remove me,” Hogg told Collins.
“I understand what the chair is saying,” Hogg said, “However there have been vice chairs previously who have been involved in primaries. … What is happening here is they are attempting to change the rules.”
Continuing, the DNC vice chair said, “The reason why I am doing this is because I feel like this is a break the glass moment that our party is in … because we are failing, far too many of our leaders in Congress are failing to meet the moment right now.”
Hogg said that despite Trump’s immigration deportation policies, tariff announcements that disrupted the stock market and “all the chaos he’s ensued,” Democratic approval ratings are still low.
“People in D.C. continue to act like we can just have the same cast of characters and not change anything that much fundamentally and just hope if we throw a couple 100 million dollars at some front-line districts, things are going to change, and frankly, that is not going to be possible. There are far too many people in Congress that are failing to meet the moment right now, and we need to do two things at once.”
Hogg said Democrats should, number one, challenge Democrats in safe districts who are “failing to meet this moment,” and secondly, support the members in front-line districts to take back control of Congress.
Hogg notably became a Democratic leader after his high school, Marjory Stoneman Douglas in Parkland, Florida, was the scene of a deadly mass shooting. Hogg, a gun control advocate, later went on to become a founder of the March for Our Lives organization.
What People Are Saying
Democratic State Representative Bryce Berry of Georgia on X, formerly Twitter, on Thursday: “We are at an inflection point. I know @davidhogg111, he’s got heart, grit, and a clear vision for the future. We can’t be afraid to take on complacent Democrats who’ve lost touch with the urgency of this moment. We need a new generation of leaders who will fight like hell for us.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, on X last month: “Democrats have no leader, no vision, and no message—other than profanity. Screaming about our popular America First agenda is not a winning political strategy.”
What Happens Next
It is immediately unknown when the bylaw would be voted on by DNC members.