- DNC Vice Chair David Hogg faces reelection after a complaint filed by Kalyn Free alleged the original election violated the committee charter and discriminated against candidates who are women of color.
- Hogg claims he was targeted because of his plan to primary older Democratic incumbents, which DNC Chair Ken Martin said violates the party's mission.
- Fellow Vice Chair Malcolm Kenyatta, who also must run for reelection, disputes Hogg's characterization of events, stating the issue is as leadership said it was, from procedural flaws rather than targeting Hogg specifically.
Democratic National Committee Vice Chair David Hogg has come under fire in recent months for announcing a $20 million plan to primary older, Democratic incumbents running for reelection. Now, a complaint from another vice chair candidate may lead to Hogg’s ouster from party leadership.
Kalyn Free, a Native American attorney and party activist, lost her bid for DNC vice chair in February, and has since filed a complaint that the election itself was “fatally flawed” and “violated the DNC Charter and discriminated against three women of color candidates,” per her statement given to Semafor.
Because the board must have gender balance, at least one male candidate had to be selected as a vice chair.
Free says that by running the vote for the two positions at the same time, with the requirement that at least one male candidate be chosen, it gave both male candidates a boost.
Free has asked for two new vice chair elections, and on Monday after over three hours of debate, the committee voted 13-2 to require reelections for both Hogg and fellow vice chair Malcolm Kenyatta‘s seats.
Hogg was a senior at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School when a former student opened fire, killing 17 people. Since then, he has become a gun control activist and founded several nonprofits, which aim to give more political power to young people.
Of the 201.5-point threshold required to win a vice chair seat, Hogg received 214.5 votes.
Kenyatta has served as a Pennsylvania state representative since 2018, and he received 298 votes in his bid for DNC vice chair.
Hogg says the decision to require reelection is targeted
While the vote to require reelection was made without any acknowledgement of Hogg’s recent conflicts with DNC leadership, the vice chair said, “It is also impossible to ignore the broader context of my work to reform the party, which loomed large over this vote,” per his statement reported by The New York Times.
Hogg added, “The DNC has pledged to remove me, and this vote has provided an avenue to fast-track that effort.”
On Saturday in a lengthy X thread, DNC Chair Ken Martin explained how Hogg’s position to primary incumbents is in direct violation of what he believes the party’s mission is.
“Imagine the message it would send if party insiders could quietly influence outcomes. If the perception takes hold that decisions are made behind closed doors by a few powerful actors, we risk alienating the very people we claim to represent,” Martin wrote.
He continued, “That’s not democracy. That’s not our party. Party officers have one job: to be fair stewards of a process that invites every Democrat to the table — regardless of personal views or allegiances."
The chairman then quoted the Democratic Party’s charter, adding that he would defend the DNC’s mission “as long as I am Chair of this great institution.”
On Bill Maher, Hogg calls for meritocracy in DNC elections
The day before Martin‘s long X statement, Hogg appeared on a segment of Real Time with Bill Maher, accompanied by Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., and former DNC Chair Donna Brazile.
Maher asked Hogg, “What is the deal with that woman who attacked you because you beat her at that job? Did you beat her fair and square? Was there any fire there?”
Hogg responded, “There was the election that the DNC held, and I was the person that won one of the three positions that they had for the at-large vice chairs.”
“Not to bore people, but to get into the bureaucracy of the DNC, we have a gender balance rule at the DNC, because of course we do,” Hogg said, which was met by laughs at the studio.
Lawler, cut in, adding that the Republican National Committee has its own gender rules as well. If the chair is a male, the vice chair has to be a female.
“Well, what’s interesting is that that’s even more progressive than our vision,” Hogg said, “Which is that the chair doesn’t count toward the gender balance rule that we have.”
Hogg added that he doesn’t believe the gender balance rule “makes sense ... in this day and age, because I want to focus on who is just best at the job.”
Vice chair Kenyatta says Hogg is misrepresenting the story
In another X thread posted on Monday, Malcolm Kenyatta criticized the DNC’s decision to make him and Hogg rerun for their seats.
“It is unfortunate as I believe we both won fairly & there is no charge that we acted improperly,” Kenyatta wrote.
He continued, “The credentials committee believed, as they stated, that they are remedying a procedural flaw. But doing so the way they did, is a slap in my face. I’m frustrated, but I’ll be ok.”
Kenyatta added his belief that the requirement to run for reelection is not about Hogg.
“This story is complex and I’m frustrated — but it’s not about @davidhogg111. Even though he clearly wants it to be," he wrote.