The Democratic National Committee voted to authorize new vice chair elections on Wednesday, setting the stage for David Hogg to possibly be removed from leadership in the coming days.
After the 294-99 vote, DNC members will hold new elections on June 12-14 to elect a male vice chair, and then from June 15-17, members will vote for a second vice chair who can be of any gender.
Hogg’s decision to invest $20 million through his group, Leaders We Deserve, to oust incumbent Democrats angered members of the party who pushed back against DNC leadership meddling in primaries, though officials deny the election redo is related to his actions.
DNC’S DAVID HOGG DRAMA DEEPENS THE DEMOCRATIC DIVIDE
The internal battle intensified after DNC chairman Ken Martin was heard on a leaked recording from Politico questioning his ability to lead and criticizing Hogg’s actions.
Hogg denied that he leaked the audio to the media. “A lot of people are accusing me of leaking this recording. These are the messages from the reporter who wrote the story,” he wrote on X.
A lot of people are accusing me of leaking this recording. These are the messages from the reporter who wrote the story. pic.twitter.com/TMggS9UDt6
— David Hogg
(@davidhogg111) June 8, 2025
Should he decide to run again as vice chair, Hogg’s campaign could be hindered by the tensions.
Hogg, along with Malcolm Kenyatta, another vice chairman, Kalyn Free, Jeanna Repass, and Shasti Conrad, are all eligible to run again for the two open positions.
Free challenged the election of Hogg and Kenyatta as two of the three vice chairs on Feb. 28, claiming their election did not follow proper procedure, before Hogg announced the $20 million investment in mid-April.
Yet Kenyatta has accused Hogg of distracting the DNC with internal drama as opposed to strategizing on how best to counter President Donald Trump’s administration. Democrats are still struggling over how to win back members of their coalition that defected to Trump in the 2024 elections.
In a recent social media post, Kenyatta even slammed Hogg’s denial of leaking audio of Martin.
“Apropos of nothing: leaking texts messages to prove you didn’t leak a phone call is… a choice,” Kenyatta wrote.
Some Democrats have cautioned that the optics of removing Hogg through the new elections could incense party members who claim that leaders are silencing criticism from younger Democrats.
They have instead pushed for the DNC to consider changing its bylaws during a future meeting in August to prevent leaders, including Hogg, from wading into primary battles.
Hogg has refused to back down from his push to oust incumbent Democrats for younger leaders, even after Martin explicitly called on officials not to wade into primary battles.
“No DNC officer should ever attempt to influence the outcome of a primary election, whether on behalf of an incumbent or a challenger,” Martin previously said in April. “Voters should decide who our primary nominees are, not DNC leadership. Our role is to serve as stewards of a fair, open, and trusted process, not to tilt the scales.”
“If they decide to remove me, I don’t take it personally,” Hogg claimed in response to the pressure to back down from the $20 million initiative.
