WASHINGTON – David Hogg, who has been at the center of Democratic National Committee controversy over his efforts to primary “out of touch, ineffective” incumbents in Congress, is at risk of losing his position as the committee’s vice chair.
Hogg announced in April that his group, Leaders We Deserve, was pouring $20 million to help fund young candidates who will challenge incumbents in safe blue districts. DNC Chairman Ken Martin has urged officers to remain neutral in primary elections, giving Hogg an ultimatum of resigning from the committee or divorcing himself from his organization.
The credentials committee of the DNC voted in favor of a resolution on Monday recommending voiding the February election that made Hogg and Malcolm Kenyatta vice chairs.
The vote comes after Oklahoma DNC member Kalyn Free, who ran for the vice chair position, argued in a complaint that the procedure by which Hogg and Kenyatta were elected “unfairly disadvantaged” the female candidates on the ballot. The resolution will be brought to the entire DNC body for a final vote.
“I am disappointed to learn that before I became Chair, there was a procedural error in the February Vice Chair elections,” said committee chairman Ken Martin in a statement.
“The Credentials Committee has issued their recommendation, and I trust that the DNC Members will carefully review the Committee’s resolution and resolve this matter fairly. I thank all of our officers for their service, including Vice Chairs Kenyatta and Hogg, and look forward to continuing to work with them in their officer posts as this matter is resolved,” he added.
Though the DNC claims the recent vote has nothing to do with the neutrality pledge, Hogg alleged in a statement that it is “impossible to ignore the broader context of my work to reform the party which loomed large over this vote.”
“I ran to be DNC Vice Chair to help make the Democratic Party better, not to defend an indefensible status quo that has caused voters in almost every demographic group to move away from us,” Hogg said.
He added: “The DNC has pledged to remove me, and this vote has provided an avenue to fast-track that effort.”
Hogg, a survivor of the 2018 Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school shooting in Parkland, Florida, rose to prominence for participating in protests and marches against gun violence.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: DNC subcommittee votes to void election of David Hogg, Kenyatta as vice chairs
