Democratic National Committee Vice Chairman David Hogg accused the organization of trying to remove him from his position.
On Monday, Hogg announced that the DNC commenced an effort to fast-track his removal as vice chairman. Hogg, an immediately controversial leader, found his position on shaky ground last month after he pledged his group Leaders We Deserve would primary Democratic members of Congress he perceived as ineffective, especially older ones. His comment was viewed as violating the DNC’s commitment to “neutrality” and, in his eyes, triggered an effort to remove him from within the organization.
“Today, the DNC took its first steps to remove me from my position as Vice Chair At-Large,” Hogg said in a statement. “While this vote was based on how the DNC conducted its officers’ elections, which I had nothing to do with, it is also impossible to ignore the broader context of my work to reform the party which loomed large over this vote.”
“Our country is in crisis, and too many leaders in the Democratic Party are asleep at the wheel. Trump is on a mission to crash our economy, disappear people without due process, and participate in flagrant public corruption – and voters still trust him more than Democrats. That is a massive indictment of our party,” he continued.
To defend his comments of primarying ineffective members of Congress, Hogg pointed out how the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, other party committees, and even past vice chairs have endorsed candidates in primaries without issue.
“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,” he concluded. “The DNC has pledged to remove me, and this vote has provided an avenue to fast-track that effort.”
DNC Chairman Ken Martin struck a neutral tone in his own statement, though he thanked Hogg for his service as vice chairman.
“During my campaign for Chair, I pledged to run the DNC with integrity, openness, and fairness. I am disappointed to learn that before I became Chair, there was a procedural error in the February Vice Chair elections,” he said. “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,” Martin added.
The DNC Credentials Committee passed the resolution challenging the Feb. 1 election of Hogg and Malcolm Kenyatta with 13 in favor, two against, and three abstentions.
Its ruling came after Kalyn Free, a Native American attorney whom Hogg defeated to become vice chairman, challenged the results of his February electoral victory, arguing she lost a “fatally flawed election that violated the DNC Charter and discriminated against three women of color candidates.”
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Hogg has been in the hot seat since his appearance on MSNBC last month, when he pledged to primary ineffective incumbents.
“What we’re seeing around the country right now is our base — we’re failing to meet the moment,” he said. “A lot of our members of Congress are failing to meet the moment, frankly, and we need to make sure that they know that they’re going to be held accountable, and we’re going to have primary challenges in our safe seats, where we have members of Congress who, when they’re not being effective or they’re not able to meet this moment, that they know that there is a young person who is willing to challenge them, and there are resources behind them.”