David Hogg’s rise is ‘symptom’ of party’s problems with moderates, PAC founder tells Politico
Twenty-four-year-old activist David Hogg was elected Saturday as a vice chair of the Democratic National Committee, sparking intraparty tensions and leading more moderate Democrats to warn that his rhetoric and far-left appeals could further erode the party’s brand.
Moderate Democrats say Hogg’s rise shows that the party still hasn’t learned to win over swing voters, Politico reported Tuesday. Liam Kerr, the cofounder of a PAC backing centrist Democrats, called Hogg a “symptom” of the party’s problems, accusing him of being a “white guy who panders” and a Democrat who “shits on moderates who won.”
“The most worrying thing is if he carries into this new job a belief that saying what he was saying, but louder, is the way to prevail in red states,” said Matt Bennett, the cofounder of center-left group Third Way. “Because it isn’t. … If he believes that it is, that’s going to be a real problem for our candidates in those places.”
Hogg has long faced criticism from Republicans for his hardline progressive views. In 2021, the March for Our Lives cofounder called to “abolish ICE” and “defund the police.” A year later, Hogg wrote on X that “we have enough straight white men in power” and that “it’d be nice to see some people who actually look like our country and not privilege.”
Some Democrats also worry that Hogg’s views are out-of-step with the majority of Americans. “I’m never planning on having kids,” Hogg posted on X in September 2022. “I would much rather own a Porsche and have a Portuguese water dog and golden doodle. Long term it’s cheaper, better for the environment and will never tell you that it hates you or ask you to pay for college.”
An anonymous Democratic strategist complained to Politico that Hogg can now “go on TV as a vice chair for the DNC, speak on behalf of the Democratic Party, in a way that can do more harm than good.”
Hogg, who became a public figure after surviving the 2018 Parkland school shooting, centered his campaign for vice chair on fixing the party’s problems with reaching young voters. “Our party failed to connect with voters this year because they felt like we ignored them,” Hogg said in a statement to Politico. “We need to listen again and have the tough conversations with people from across the political spectrum—and I’m committed to doing that work.”
Some Democrats are skeptical. “He came up as an activist, but now he is a party leader, and that’s a very, very different role,” Bennett warned.
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