Democratic National Committee (DNC) Vice Chair David Hogg warned on MSNBC Sunday that in order for its message to be believable, the Democratic Party needs to shift away from its aging leadership.
Hogg said Friday he’ll keep fighting to strengthen the Democratic Party, even if he’s pushed out of his leadership role. During an appearance on “The Weekend,” Hogg said the Democratic Party is facing more than just a messaging problem as it’s grappling with a messenger crisis that threatens its long-term relevance among voters.
“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. 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,” Hogg said. “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.”
Hogg argued that too many Democrats in safe blue districts have grown complacent and ineffective, as they failed to communicate with their constituents or show up for key responsibilities.
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“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,” Hogg continued. “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?”
Hogg called for a new generation of leaders who can “meet this moment” and rebuild the Democratic Party into a real opposition force.
“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, where we see incredible young people like Congressman Maxwell Frost, who’ve been elected, people like AOC and others,” Hogg explained.
Hogg stressed that Democrats must offer more than resistance to Trump if they hope to win back trust. (RELATED: Democrats Beat David Hogg Into Six-Figure Ransom Payment After He Tried To Destroy Party From Within)
“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 when asked what message Democrats need to push to energize voters. “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.”
Hogg’s group, Leaders We Deserve, announced in April that it would support primary challenges against select House Democrats in 2026. This move stirred frustration within party leadership as the plan triggered immediate criticism from senior officials who view the effort as disruptive ahead of high-stakes midterms.
DNC Chair Ken Martin warned that party leaders must remain impartial and hinted at a possible bylaw change to enforce neutrality during primaries. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries also dismissed Hogg’s approach and said he will back every sitting Democratic member running for reelection.
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