Dems Take Step to Oust Vice Chair David Hogg; He Says It Is Because the Controversy Over Primary Challengers

The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is taking steps to oust Vice Chair David Hogg— who has recently criticized the party for not welcoming younger aspiring lawmakers— calling for a new election for his post.

A panel in the committee, which called for the new vote, said the new effort is unrelated to Hogg's recent comments, which have sparked heated discourse among party members, Politico reported. Hogg has previously promised to spend $20 million in Democratic primaries against House incumbents in safe blue districts, a move that sparked criticism from some party members.

Hogg, a rising figure in the party who first rose to prominence due to his gun control activism after surviving the Parkland school shooting in 2018, said in a statement it is "impossible to ignore the broader context of my work to reform the party which loomed large over this vote." He claimed the new vote is in fact related to the controversy rather than on a procedural squabble the party claimed it was based on.

"The DNC has pledged to remove me, and this vote has provided an avenue to fast-track that effort," he continued.

The DNC Credential Committee came to the decision to hold a new vote after hearing a complaint from Kalyn Free, a losing candidate in the vice chair race, who alleged the body bungled its own rules when Hogg and Malcolm Kenyatta were elected as vice chairs in February. Free said the party had wrongly combined two separate questions into a single vote, putting at a disadvantage the female candidates because of the party's gender-parity rules.

Her complaint was filed well before Hogg promised to challenge fellow Democrats. The committee voted 13-2 on Monday evening after about more than three hours of discussion.

"I have always known that the Democratic Party is the party of free and fair elections. Today, the credentials committee of the DNC confirmed that correcting mistakes in process, and protecting democracy is more important than saving face," Free said in a statement after the vote.

Kenyatta expressed frustration in a thread on X, criticizing the media's attention on Hogg's plans and noting he had won 298 votes to 214.5 for Hogg. He called the decision "a slap in my face," and said the process was not about Hogg "even though he clearly wants it to be."

DNC chair Ken Martin, who has publicly battled Hogg over his controversial plans, said he was disappointed about the alleged error, noting that it was made before he became the party's top person.

"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," he said.

The party chairman has previously stated it is inappropriate for Hogg to intervene in primaries while serving as a party official, and has recommended changing the party's bylaws to force him to sign a neutrality pledge.

Moving forward, the full national body would have to sign off on the resolution the committee approved. If it does, it would call for a new election for the two vice chair posts in question and therefore would remove Hogg and Kenyatta from their posts. The full DNC could opt to hold a virtual vote ahead of their meeting later this summer, otherwise, it will take the issue up during its August meeting.