David Hogg said Wednesday night that he will not run in the redo vote after the Democratic National Committee (DNC) voted to nullify the February 2025 elections that appointed Hogg and Pennsylvania state representative Malcolm Kenyatta as vice chairs, citing procedural violations.
Hogg posted on X, formerly Twitter, “It is clear that there is a fundamental disagreement about the role of a Vice Chair — and it’s okay to have disagreements. What isn’t okay is allowing this to remain our focus when there is so much more we need to be focused on. Ultimately, I have decided to not run in this upcoming election so the party can focus on what really matters.”
Why It Matters
This decision follows a complaint by former candidate Kalyn Free, who alleged that the election process did not adhere to the party’s rules. The DNC’s electronic vote, conducted from June 9 to June 11, approved the motion to redo the elections.
What To Know
Kenyatta is now the only candidate for the male vice chair slot. The three women, including Free, who lost to Hogg in February will compete for the second slot.
Newsweek has reached out to both Hogg and Kenyatta via email on Wednesday evening for comment.
Hogg, a prominent Gen Z activist and co-founder of the political group Leaders We Deserve, has been a contentious figure within the DNC due to his initiative to invest $20 million in supporting progressive challengers against incumbent Democrats. This move has sparked internal debates about party neutrality and leadership roles.
DNC Chair Ken Martin has emphasized the importance of neutrality among party officers and has proposed bylaw changes to enforce this principle.
During the February vote, the DNC opted to hold a single vote to fill two remaining vice chair spots instead of conducting separate votes. Free argued that the combined vote structure unfairly benefited male candidates as members were required to vote for at least one man to maintain gender parity.
In May, a panel found that two of its vice chair elections held earlier this year were not conducted properly. The issue arose when the DNC‘s Credentials Committee determined that procedural errors meant the executive was not “equally divided as practicable” along gender lines.
Hogg, a survivor of the 2018 shooting in Parkland, Florida and prominent gun control activist, contends that the decision to redo the elections is politically motivated, aimed at curbing his reform efforts within the party.
What People Are Saying
Martin said in a statement to Newsweek, “I commend David for his years of activism, organizing, and fighting for his generation, and while I continue to believe he is a powerful voice for this party, I respect his decision to step back from his post as Vice Chair. I have no doubt that he will remain an important advocate for Democrats across the map. I appreciate his service as an officer, his hard work, and his dedication to the party.”
Hogg’s statement on X continued, “I have nothing but admiration and respect for my fellow officers. Even though we have disagreements, we all are here to build the strongest party possible. Let me be extremely clear: Yes, we need to defeat Republicans. Leaders We Deserve will have many candidates challenging Republican incumbents. But we also need to build a party not defined by not being the less bad of two options in voters’ eyes.”
Hogg said in May: “While this vote was based on how the DNC conducted its officers’ elections, which I had nothing to do with, it is also impossible to ignore the broader context of my work to reform the party which loomed large over this vote.”
He continued, “I ran to be DNC Vice Chair to help make the Democratic Party better, not to defend an indefensible status quo that has caused voters in almost every demographic group to move away from us.”
Also in May, Kenyatta ripped into Hogg for having what he calls a “casual relationship with the truth”: When asked what specifically Hogg is not telling the truth about, Kenyatta elaborated during an MSNBC appearance: “So he put out a statement saying that the Democratic Party — that the challenge yesterday is the Democratic Party trying to get him out of here. David understands very well, like I understand, that this challenge was filed back in February, well before David ever said anything about Leaders We Deserve.”
What Happens Next
The upcoming elections are poised to influence the DNC’s direction, particularly concerning the balance between progressive activism and traditional party structures.
Update: 6/11/25, 7:14 p.m. ET: This article was updated with new information and remarks.
Update: 6/11/25, 7:25 p.m. ET: This article was updated with new information and remarks.
Update: 6/11/25, 7:43 p.m. ET: This article was updated with new information.
Update: 6/11/25, 7:58 p.m. ET: This headline and article have been updated with Hogg’s decision not to run for DNC vice chair.
The post David Hogg Reacts After DNC Vote to Redo Vice Chair Election appeared first on Newsweek.
