The last time we mentioned David Hogg, he had been selected to be a vice chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), and wasted no time making some (many?) regret that choice. Why? Because one of his first actions as DNC vice chair—a position one presumes comes with the directive to raise funds for the DNC—was to use the DNC’s database to raise funds for his own Political Action Committee (PAC), Leaders We Deserve.
That was not very well received. Many raised concerns that Hogg was raising money ostensibly through the DNC that could be used in primary races against candidates supported by the DNC. Hogg has implied that is a very real possibility.
Whether or not David Hogg’s personal agenda always coincides with DNC goals is really none of our concern. But how this all plays out in public does make for entertaining viewing; especially considering Hogg’s only real claim to fame is being a social media activist that consistently—and sometimescomically—rails against the Second Amendment.
He certainly is no stranger to making a spectacle of himself, so forgive us if we sometimes point that out and laugh.
Many are likely familiar with the spat between Hogg and long-time Democrat strategist—now more often presenting as a perennially angry old man—James Carville. The Cajun curmudgeon went so far as to call Hogg a “contemptible little twerp” at one point in their feud. Carville objected to the idea that Hogg’s personal PAC could go after incumbent Democrats, implying it was a waste of finite campaign resources for Democrats to fight with other Democrats, rather than just focusing on defeating Republicans.
But Hogg, somehow, was able to force Carville to take a more conciliatory tone. After the public kerfuffle, Carville posted to X that he and Hogg spoke on the phone, and stated, “David Hogg fights. The DNC needs him.”
Former anti-gun mouthpiece Shannon Watts also apparently questioned Hogg and his PAC. While Watts has scrubbed her X profile of her specific accusations, Hogg still shows a post he made in response, as well as a number of reposteddefenses of Hogg. The crux of Watts’s accusation seemed to be that Hogg and his PAC were not using contributions appropriately, and perhaps implying the donations were being used simply to enrich those working for the PAC.
Although Watts now seems reluctant to post directly about Hogg or accuse him of any financial malfeasance, she does appear to be posting some thinly-veiled criticisms of Hogg and his PAC’s apparent policy of supporting candidates predominantly because they are young, or at least younger than most Democrat leaders.
But if Carville has been cowed into submission, and Watts reduced to passive aggressiveness rather than direct opposition, there are still powerful forces within the DNC who are out for Hogg.
The DNC’s Credentials subcommittee recently voted for a do-over of the February election that saw Hogg ascend from online activist to the highly influential position of vice chair. Based on a challenge to the manner in which the original vote/election was conducted by a candidate that was not elected, the subcommittee recommended a new vote. The actual vote on whether to proceed with this recommendation, which will include the whole DNC body, has yet to be scheduled.
The other vice chair, Malcolm Kenyatta, has also been caught up in the re-vote, and he also doesn’t seem very enamored with Hogg.
Hogg, of course, has tried to present himself as a victim who has been targeted for removal, although the vote challenge was filed before people started questioning Hogg’s loyalty to the DNC.
Then, just last week, Hogg announced the first endorsement was coming from his PAC. Some may have wondered if he was going to follow through with his implied threat to go after an incumbent Democrat who he felt was too old and ineffective. Would he add fuel to the fire for those calling for his removal from the DNC?
Hogg simply endorsed a fairly boilerplate Democrat in a primary for an open, safe Democrat seat. He’s backing Illinois State Senator Robert Peters, who is running to fill the seat that will be vacated by current U.S. Representative Robin Kelly (CD2). She will be running for U.S. Senate next year. Peters is the only declared candidate and likely hopes he can deter any rivals from entering the primary against him by racking up endorsements—so far, these include Hogg and perennial Presidential candidate also-ran Bernie Sanders.
So, no real controversy here, unless someone who might be more favorable to the DNC enters the fray. Then, it could get interesting.
Whatever ultimately happens with Hogg is anybody’s guess. If he’s kicked out of DNC leadership, will he hold a grudge and simply target more incumbents with his PAC? Could be. Will he bring more Democrats over to his way of thinking, and fracture the party? Perhaps. In the grand scheme of things, though, he’s probably getting a bit more attention than he really deserves.
True, we’re talking about him ourselves, but that’s because he is an anti-gun radical, which makes him fair game for discussion, analysis, and debunking. But as far as Democrat politics go, he really has not proven himself in any way as a significant player. His anti-gun views were nothing new to party leadership. Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, and many others have been railing against the Second Amendment for a long time, since before Hogg was born.
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