Earlier this month, Hogg unveiled a plan to back primary challenges on longtime incumbents in an effort to get younger people in office. The DNC denounced the plan, claiming it hurts its ability to push back against President Donald Trump. DNC Chairman Ken Martin on Thursday said party leaders should be working to beat Republicans and not oust sitting Democrats.
“When you’re a party officer, whether you like it or not, you have to stay out of primaries,” Martin said. “We have to have a policy that’s consistent across the board. Otherwise, it erodes trust among young people. It erodes trust among other people.”
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But a handful of young Democrats have sided with Hogg, signifying a shift in the party. As primaries have popped with young candidates challenging incumbents across the country, they want a new generation of the party in power. Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) has stood firm with his support for Hogg, making it known on X.
“This country is based on competition and open ideas,” Khanna told the Washington Examiner. “I don’t think it’s just young people — voters of all ages are fed up with the system and want to see change. I hope our party listens to them.”
Many young Democrats have announced a primary race against an incumbent as part of young Democrats’ latest efforts to change Washington. Influencer and former progressive watchdog group staffer Kat Abughazaleh announced her candidacy against incumbent Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) before Schakowsky announced her retirement. Jake Rokov launched a primary against his former boss, Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA).
Elijah Manley, a 26-year-old Florida substitute history teacher, launched a primary against incumbent Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL). Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is facing a primary from Saikat Chakrabarti, a former chief of staff for Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), who has been previously known to back campaigns to primary fellow Democrats.
“It’s very hard for us to think that people like of that older generation are going to experience the same thing we experience and legislate that way,” Rakov told the Washington Examiner earlier this year. “And I think that’s probably one of the root causes of a lot of that frustration.”
Other party leaders are standing firm behind Martin’s decision to strongly push back against Hogg.
“Donald Trump and House Republicans are wrecking the economy, endangering our safety, and threatening to strip millions of hardworking Americans of their healthcare and Social Security,” House Majority PAC Communications Director CJ Warnke wrote to the Washington Examiner.
“If you’re not focused on flipping GOP-held seats and taking back the House, you’re not helping — you’re in the way,” he continued.
The DNC position has presented Hogg with a choice: carry on with his $20 million effort to fund primary challenges or step down from leadership.
Martin told the Washington Examiner on Thursday he’s not intending to force Hogg’s removal at this time.
“No, that’s not my intention here. I like David Hogg. I think he’s an amazing young leader,” Martin said. “I hope he stays as a party officer.”
Hogg has long been a voice of the Democratic Party, starting as a co-founder of the youth activism group March for Our Lives after surviving the Parkland High School shooting in 2018 that killed 17 people. The 25-year-old clapped back on X on Thursday.
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“They’re trying to change the rules because I’m not currently breaking them. 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 wrote.
“The fact that we spent 2 BILLION dollars and still lost an election to a convicted felon who literally attempted to overthrow our government must be a cause for serious reflection and a prime example of why change is so needed,” he continued.
