Democratic National Committee Vice Chair David Hogg said Sunday that the Democratic Party must look beyond its aging leadership and bring in a new generation of leaders if it wants to remain relevant and competitive.
His remarks were made during an appearance on MSNBC’s The Weekend and follow weeks of internal party tension surrounding his political organization’s decision to back primary challenges against some incumbent Democrats.
Hogg, who also leads the group Leaders We Deserve, said that Democrats are not only struggling with messaging but with messengers themselves.
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“So clearly something is not going right here. And sometimes it’s not just a messaging problem that you have, it’s a broader messenger problem that you have in the first place,” Hogg said.
He added that the Democratic Party must elevate new voices capable of directly confronting former President Donald Trump and rebuilding the party’s credibility with voters.
“What we’re trying to do is bring in some new messengers that are not only more equipped to fight in this moment against Donald Trump and build the Democratic Party into being a true opposition party.”
“We’re also trying to make sure that we’re giving voters the best options that they can in our safer blue districts while supporting candidates that are in purple districts at the same time, because we want to defeat Republicans, obviously.”
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Hogg expressed concern that Democrats in solidly blue districts have become complacent and disengaged from the voters who elected them.
“What it looks like is making sure, one, that they’re actually able to show up at their committee hearings, making sure that they’re, for one, showing up at town halls and they’re talking to their constituents about what is going on in their districts. But for each candidate or for each elected official, it looks different, right? And let me be clear, I’m not just saying, well, if you’re above a certain age, you shouldn’t be there.”
“Unfortunately, sucking is something that is not limited to being above a certain age, right?”
He named younger elected officials such as Rep. Maxwell Frost of Florida and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York as examples of what the party needs more of to meet the moment and energize its base.
“What we’re talking about is making sure that there are people that are here ready to fight and meet this moment and to build the future of the Democratic Party in our safer blue seats,” Hogg said.
Hogg also addressed what he believes should be the core message of the party in the current election cycle, highlighting two main themes: reducing costs for Americans and pushing an anti-corruption agenda.
“Well, one, I think that there are two, there are really two messages that I believe that we need to be pushing this election cycle more than anything else,” Hogg said.
“One is really embodied well by our former FTC chair, Lena Khan, who has gone out to repeatedly and talked about going after special interests to lower costs for the American people. And two, I think we need to talk about a broader anti-corruption message across the board.”
In April, Hogg’s group Leaders We Deserve announced its intention to support primary challengers against select House Democrats in the 2026 election cycle. The move was met with immediate pushback from party leadership.
DNC Chair Ken Martin responded by emphasizing the need for neutrality in primaries and indicated that changes to party bylaws could be on the table to ensure that position.
Meanwhile, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries made clear that he plans to support every sitting House Democrat seeking reelection, effectively dismissing Hogg’s strategy.
Despite mounting criticism from within the party, Hogg has said he will continue his efforts to reshape the Democratic Party and push for a generational transition in leadership.
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