Democrats could soon be adding a new player to their bench. After losing several key constituencies during the presidential election of 2024, they may be looking for someone who can bring back at least one constituency. David Hogg, a gun control activist, announced on Monday that he plans to run for the Vice Chair of the Democrat National Committee.
Hogg became famous in 2018 when he survived the shooting at Marjory-Stoneman Douglas High School, in Parkland. Since then, he has been a vocal advocate for gun regulation. Hogg stated that if he were to win, he would try to bring back the young people who left the Democrat Party in 2024. The election of this year was not good for Democrats in their outreach to young people. Donald Trump and Republicans gained the largest percentage of voters under 30 since 2008 than any GOP candidate. Hogg believes he can make a difference.
Hogg could be a double-edged sword for Democrats. Hogg said:
“Moving ahead, we must focus on our youth outreach across all states and territories to rebuild our coalition following the massive shift towards the right among young people this election.”
His criticism of the campaign of Kamala Harris, the Vice President of the United States, and his suggestion that Democrats should take a moment to reflect on their actions might not have been well received by the Democrat Party’s bigwigs. Hogg said this about the Harris campaign and Democrats’ apparent cavalier attitude towards their loss to Donald Trump.
You raised a ridiculous amount of money. We lost the race. It’s time to peel back the curtains and ask, “Okay, what went wrong?” “Instead of protecting the consultants who brought us here in the first instance.”
Democrats may not be able to ignore Hogg’s efforts to gain access to the DNC leadership. He has scheduled follow-up meetings with all 448 members of the DNC who will vote. Hogg stated that he had called out the “lack” of awareness he felt the party exhibited before the election, and why they weren’t focusing specifically on young men.
I received messages from consultants telling me, “Here you are, saying the stupid stuff again.” They act as if they understand what young people think, but it is emblematic of a larger problem for the Democratic Party. We would prefer to live in an imaginary reality created by consultants.
One might ask, with some justification, if David Hogg is aware of what young people think. Jobs and the economy were ranked number one by 40 percent of respondents to an AP VoteCast poll of voters aged between 18 and 29. Abortion was ranked second. Gun policy came in a number seven.
Young people who are interested in politics must have the knowledge to back up their claims. Hogg, who is now X on Twitter, posted this gem in February 2023:
“After reading about the history of the Second Amendment and talking with a lot of history & law professors- I believe the Second Amendment has been intentionally misinterpreted. It was never meant as an individual right it was created to protect state militias like the national guard,” “It says well-regulated militia for a reason. The ‘shall not be infringed’ part means the federal government is not allowed to forcibly disarm state militias. I’m not alone in this interpretation. Over 100 years of jurisprudence back me up on this.”
He was not only hammered but also ridiculed by those who knew what they were saying. Hogg’s second “venture” was announced in February 2021, as he and co-founder William LeGate launched the progressive-owned Good Pillow, LLC, to compete with conservative Mike Lindell’s “My Pillow”. Hogg announced in April that he would be pulling out of the business and releasing any ownership. He also stated he would “go back to activism.” It’s probably a good plan.
Hogg is running against former Maryland Governor Ben Wickler and Minnesota Party Chair Ken Martin. Martin O’Malley and New York State Senator James Skoufis. The DNC vote will take place on the first of February. Hogg could be the Republican gift that keeps giving if he wins.
