25-Year-Old With $20 Million Declares War on 'Do-Nothing-Dems'

David Hogg, Friday, September 22, 2023, in the Oval Office. Photo courtesy of The White House. Public domain.

David Hogg, the 25-year-old gun control activist turned Democratic power player, didn't just knock on the doors of power — he kicked them in. Now he's lighting a $20 million fire under the party establishment, and the smoke is impossible to ignore.

While most young politicos work their way up quietly, Hogg is flipping the script, launching a full-scale insurgency from inside the party he's trying to reform. And the Democratic old guard? They're scrambling to slam the door shut.

A Movement, Not a Moment

Elected as a Democratic National Committee (DNC) vice chair in February, Hogg became the youngest person — and the first Gen Z figure — ever to hold the post. But it wasn't just the milestone that made waves. It was what he did next — announce that his PAC, Leaders We Deserve, would funnel $20 million into primary challenges against what he calls "asleep at the wheel" Democrats in safely blue districts, according to the Guardian.

His goal? Inject new blood into a party he sees as broken and out of touch.

"We need to dramatically change," Hogg said in an interview with the Guardian. "The fact that we spent $2bn last election cycle and still lost to a convicted felon who attempted to overthrow our government – and despite the fact that he has crashed our economy, despite the fact that he has disappeared people – our approvals remain where they are is a serious indictment of our party."

And he's not mincing words. In his own diagnosis, Democrats are stuck. In his interview with the Guardian, he said, "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."

Retaliation, or Just Routine?

It didn't take long for the blowback to hit.

In May, the DNC's credentials committee moved to void Hogg's election, citing procedural violations in the February vote.

Chair Ken Martin insisted the move wasn't political — just a correction of process. Still, the timing raised eyebrows. Martin also issued an ultimatum: pledge neutrality in Democratic primaries or step down. Hogg refused.

Instead, he offered a firewall solution — he would avoid accessing internal DNC race data while running his PAC. That wasn't enough for leadership.

"When I ran for DNC Chair, I ran on a platform of democratizing the party," Martin said in a statement on X. "Those reforms weren't about any one person, and they certainly aren't about me versus David Hogg. ... Long before David was ever involved in politics, I was pushing reforms within our Democratic Party," as reported by Politico.

It's a clean metaphor but the message is blunt — reformers are welcome, but only on the establishment's terms.

A Fracture Years in the Making

This standoff didn't materialize out of nowhere. It's the latest flashpoint in a generational rift inside the Democratic Party — one that's been simmering since Bernie Sanders' insurgent 2016 Presidential run.

And while figures like Sanders and AOC made their mark in Congress, Hogg's fight is taking place within the party's internal machinery. That's what makes it so disruptive.

He's not aiming at swing seats. His targets are long-term incumbents in safe blue districts who, in his view, aren't effectively standing up to Trump's second-term agenda — one Hogg has warned is pushing the country toward authoritarianism.

He's careful to frame his challenge not as ideological, but generational. "There are young people who suck. There are old people who suck," Hogg said, according to the Guardian. "Nobody's entitled to their position of power. We live in a democracy, at least for now."

Still, some party insiders see his crusade as reckless at a critical moment, when Democrats are trying to claw their way back from devastating 2024 losses.

What's Really at Stake

Hogg's campaign is about more than primaries or procedural votes — it's about who controls the future of the Democratic Party.

Is it the traditional gatekeepers, emphasizing order and neutrality? Or is it the emerging generation of leaders, demanding urgency, accountability, and a willingness to shake the system?

As the party faces down Trump's second term and prepares for 2026, that question has never been more pressing. And David Hogg, whether he keeps his vice chair title or not, isn't backing down.

References: DNC vice-chair David Hogg on Democratic party: 'We need to dramatically change' | DNC panel votes to void David Hogg's election as Democratic vice chair | DNC chair doubles down on his ultimatum for Hogg | DNC infighting threatens to throw party into ‘chaos’ | DNC Moves to Oust David Hogg After He Says Party Isn't Standing Up to Trump