David Hogg challenges Democrats' 'ineffective' old guard

He plans to fund primary challenges to Democratic incumbents

David Hogg speaks during the March for Our Lives rally on March 24, 2018 in Washington, D.C.
David Hogg speaks during the March for Our Lives rally on March 24, 2018 in Washington, D.C.
(Image credit: Mark Wilson / Getty Images)

Anti-gun campaigner David Hogg is making waves with his plan to push primary challenges to the Democratic Party's incumbents in Congress. After rising to prominence for his activism as a survivor of the 2018 mass shooting at his high school in Parkland, Florida, he is now a vice chair on the Democratic National Committee and is making other party leaders anxious.

Democratic critics say Hogg's plan to invest $20 million from his Leaders We Deserve PAC to replace incumbents is "misguided at a time when the party is up against President Donald Trump," said The Washington Post. But Hogg said his goal is to help that opposition by replacing "ineffective" Democrats. Those who are nervous about his proposal "should ask yourself, if you're a member of Congress, why and how you can change?" he said.

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'Change the face of the party'

Democrats know that voters are "hungry for younger leadership with more verve," said Lauren Egan at The Bulwark. The party's leaders are also trying to figure out how to "welcome fresh faces without forcing out older ones." Hogg has "pissed off" old guard party members but also "frustrated some progressives" after declaring he would not go after former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who already has a primary challenger. It's clear that change is needed. "We have to change the face of the party," said Adam Green, the cofounder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, to the Bulwark.

Hogg's boldness is "right on time," even if it angers party elders, said Michael Ceraso at The Hill. But the DNC members who elevated him to vice chair of the party "weren't asking him to blow up the institution." They were "asking him to fix it." Instead of striking out on his own with proposals that attract press attention, Hogg would do well to follow the example of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), who's "turning her progressivism into bridge-building and working with others" while still landing punches against Republicans. She's "not blowing things up in the name of shock and awe," and "neither should Hogg."

Parties exist to "simply get members of their party elected," said Jonah Goldberg at The Dispatch. If Hogg wants to back primary challenges, "that's fine." But doing it while in party leadership is "indefensible."

'Voters should decide'

Martin is calling for party officials' neutrality in primaries to be "codified in the party's official rules and bylaws," said CNN. Voters should "decide who our primary nominees are, not DNC leadership," Martin said to reporters. The changed rules "in effect will force me out of the organization," said Hogg.

He will not go quietly, said Newsweek. Democrats spent $2 billion on the 2024 presidential election and "still lost an election to a convicted felon who literally attempted to overthrow our government," Hogg said on X. That should be "cause for serious reflection" and big changes in the Democratic Party.

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Joel Mathis, The Week US

Joel Mathis is a writer with 30 years of newspaper and online journalism experience. His work also regularly appears in National Geographic and The Kansas City Star. His awards include best online commentary at the Online News Association and (twice) at the City and Regional Magazine Association.