On Thursday, Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chairman Ken Martin said he gave Vice Chairman David Hogg an ultimatum in regard to challenges against incumbents in their party.
Hogg recently committed a reported $20 million through his group, Leaders We Deserve, to help candidates unseat “ineffective” House Democrats in safe blue districts after President Donald Trump and Republicans won control of the White House and Congress in the 2024 election. The move has unnerved some members of his party, including veteran Democrat strategist James Carville, even as their leaders on Capitol Hill face dismal poll numbers.
“I have great respect for David Hogg. I think he’s an amazing young leader who’s done so much already to help move our movement forward,” Martin said in a video published by Fox News.
“And while, certainly, I, you know, understand what he’s tried to do,” he added. “As I’ve said to him, ‘If you want to challenge incumbents, you’re more than free to do that, but just not as an officer of the DNC, because our job is to be neutral arbiters. We can’t be both the referee and also the player at the same time. You have to make a decision.’”
Hogg, a gun control advocate who was elected to a DNC vice chair role in February, issued a combative statement after Martin made his comments.
“They’re trying to change the rules because I’m not currently breaking them,” Hogg said. “As we’re seeing law firms, tech companies, and so many others bowing to Trump, we all must use whatever position of power we have to fight back. And that’s exactly what I’m doing.”
He also said, “The role of the DNC is to set the Presidential primary calendar, set the Presidential debate schedule, to help strengthen our state parties, play a key role in building our data infrastructure for the party, and to be the campaign in waiting for whoever the next Democratic nominee is. Nothing I’m doing is at odds with any of that.”
Martin said he asked all DNC officers to sign and abide by a neutrality pledge. He noted that almost every member did.
“Let me be unequivocal: No DNC officer should ever attempt to influence the outcome of a primary election, whether on behalf of an incumbent or challenger. … Voters should decide who our primary nominees are, not DNC leadership,” Martin said.
