A survivor of the 2018 Parkland shooting, David Hogg, has announced he is adding his name to the list of those bidding to serve in the leadership of the Democratic Party National Committee. Hogg, 24, survived the mass shooting at his high school in Parkland, Florida, and later became a national anti-violence activist.
Hogg has been very critical of the messaging of the Democratic Party.
“Our approach to talking to people when they come to us with serious problems that they’re facing, serious challenges that they’re facing with rising rent and other things like that, is not to address them directly but say ‘here’s a graph that tells you why you should or shouldn’t feel this way,’” Hogg said.
Focused On Winning Back the Youth Vote
In his announcement, Hogg said he would focus on winning back young voters who have veered toward the Republican Party and away from the Democratic Party.
“Frankly, we need to focus on building up our young people in the party and not in a way that is patting us on the head and just taking our votes for granted, but really giving us power in the party,” Hogg said to The Hill.
The shift toward the Republicans was profound and abrupt during the November presidential election. Young voters who had favored President Joe Biden four years ago switched to Donald Trump in stunning numbers. According to NBC News exit polling, the youth vote backed Trump in larger numbers than any Republican presidential candidate since 2008.
In a statement, Hogg said, “Moving forward, we must have a renewed focus on our youth outreach in all states and territories to rebuild our coalition after the massive shift to the right among young voters this election. We need a collaborative environment where we don’t just surround ourselves with people who agree with us. We must confront the mass exodus of people from Blue states to Red States, driven by our party’s failure to address the housing crisis at scale—which, if left unaddressed, will spell disaster for us by 2030.”
Democratic Party Leadership Change After 2024 Election
Since current DNC Chair Jaime Harrison announced he was stepping down, Hogg is just the latest to declare his bid for the position. His announcement was the latest in recent activity around the selection of new DNC leadership to lead the party forward. After losing the White House to Trump, the party is reeling. The Democratic Party outspent Trump and boasted superior organizational strength in the weeks leading up to the election, but they were stunned by the loss.
In January, the candidates for DNC chair will hold forums before the committee’s membership. The membership will then vote on a new chair on February 1, 2025. Among those who have announced their bids for the chair are Minnesota party chair and DNC vice chair Ken Martin, Wisconsin party Chair Ben Wiler, former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley, and New York state Senator James Skoufis.
Hogg believes messaging failed to reach the youth vote and that this must change in the future.
“I think it’s a party we need to make sure that we’re communicating to voters more directly,” Hogg said. “We need to tell them what Democrats are doing and tell it from whoever the next chair is,” he continued. “Talking directly to people and the vice chairs and make sure that we’re out there going on offense about the messaging around what we’re doing.”
About David Hogg
After the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglass High School in Parkland, Florida, where 17 people died, David Hogg entered the national spotlight. Hogg and other student survivors of the massacre helped organize and hosted marches that demanded the strengthening of gun laws. Hogg and his classmates founded the gun safety group March For Our Lives. Since its inception, the organization has helped pass more than 250 gun safety laws.
Hogg is also the founder of Leaders We Deserve, which focuses on electing young progressive candidates to local and national public office.
