DNC vice-chair wants to primary old Dem incumbents with younger, more liberal candidates

Typically the goal of a political party is to elect as many members as possible.

However, one new leader of the oldest political party in North America has another goal: leftist purity.

Democratic National Committee vice chair David Hogg plans to back progressive primary challengers against House Democrats he views as ineffective and insufficiently liberal. If successful, it will mark a further shift to the left for a party voters already rejected as too liberal in the last election.

Hogg recently co-founded a political action committee called Leaders We Deserve, which will spend $20 million to oust Democrats in deep blue districts in hopes of electing younger, more left-wing politicians, the New York Times reports. The organization will do the same in state legislatures. 

Hogg thinks the move will anger some Democrats and expects a retaliatory smear campaign. However, he isn’t flinching. 

“People say they want change in the Democratic Party, but really they want change so long as it doesn’t potentially endanger their position of power,” he told the New York Times. “That’s not actually wanting change. That’s selfishness.” 

When elected as DNC vice chair earlier this year, Hogg refused to sign a “neutrality policy,” the report said. Such policies ask party leaders to avoid wading into party primaries, especially against the party’s incumbents. 

The Democratic Party has taken a beating of late, suffering a devastating loss in the 2024 Presidential race which saw Republican Donald Trump win every single swing state. 

Leftist policies such as allowing men in women’s sports and providing sex changes for prisoners proved costly, as polls show the vast majority of Americans oppose them, yet the party’s left wing has refused to budge. 

Hogg also wants to see politicians who are more aggressive against Trump and elect candidates who will live to see the consequences of their votes and actions. 

“What we are not saying here is, ‘Oh, you’re old, you need to go,’” Hogg said of older elected Democrats he hopes to oust. “What we’re saying is we need to make room for a new generation to step up and help make sure that we have the people that are most acutely impacted by a lot of the issues that we are legislating on – that are actually going to live to see the consequences of this.” 

Hogg has received limited support, including from American Federation of Teachers’ President Randi Weingarten.  

“Yes, it will ruffle some feathers, and yes, some people will be upset,” she told the Times. “The key is that they are trying to create the connection between the long-term values of the party and people who don’t see it. And you have to do things differently to make that connection.” 

But the announcement drew mockery and criticism from other Democrats. 

“This was my fear,” Gun control activist Fred Guttenberg posted on X. “This is not going to work out well for the party and this is not going to help in the fight for Democracy.” 

Former CNN commentator Chris Cillizza said the announcement is another gift to Republicans. 

“When you are in the leadership of the national party committee specifically charged with electing and re-electing incumbents, it’s, uh, sort of strange to also be the head of a group planning to spend millions of dollars to knock off said incumbents,” he wrote on Substack. 

An independent X user named Lisa Grande expressed concern with Hogg’s strategy, saying it alienates moderates. 

“Omg we need a new party platform… Independent to be clear, that is viable in the whole country,” she posted. “The majority are center on both sides and we shouldn’t have to pick between the two.” 

Meanwhile, RealClearPolitics founder Tom Bevan added, “I mean, who could’ve predicted David Hogg would not be a team player?” 

Conservative YouTuber Joey Salads wrote, “As a Conservative, he is the guy we all want leading the Dems 😂.”