David Hogg wants "ineffective" Democrats out of Congress

Summary

Post Reports Episode Summary: "David Hogg Wants 'Ineffective' Democrats Out of Congress"

Published on April 24, 2025 by The Washington Post

Hosts: Martine Powers and Elahe Izadi
Guest: David Hogg, Vice Chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and Co-founder of Leaders We Deserve

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Introduction

In this compelling episode of Post Reports, hosted by Colby Ikowitz, The Washington Post delves into a provocative and unprecedented strategy within the Democratic Party. David Hogg, a prominent survivor of the Parkland school shooting and a key figure in Democratic leadership, discusses his bold initiative aimed at reshaping the party's representation in Congress. This episode explores the motivations, strategies, and potential implications of Hogg's plan to unseat what he labels as "ineffective" Democratic incumbents.

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David Hogg's Vision for the Democratic Party

Colby Ikowitz opens the conversation by highlighting the unusual nature of a top Democratic leader advocating for the removal of incumbent Democrats. He introduces David Hogg, emphasizing Hogg's dual role as DNC Vice Chair and co-founder of Leaders We Deserve, an organization committed to unseating Democrats deemed underperforming.

Hogg articulates his perspective on the party's current challenges:

"We have an approval rating of 27%. And there are a few people in this town that actually have a plan to address that in the first place..." ([12:01])

He underscores the need for transparency and accountability within the party, arguing that Democrats must prioritize effectiveness over incumbency to regain public trust and electoral success.

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Identifying Ineffectiveness in Congress

Ikowitz probes Hogg to define what constitutes an "effective" Democrat in Congress. Hogg responds by highlighting qualities such as active engagement with constituents, legislative productivity, and the ability to address voters' real concerns directly.

"Doing town halls in your districts... They don't want to be shown a graph of the GDP and the S&P and the G7... They want to be told of what you were doing about the real challenges that they're facing." ([01:50])

Hogg praises leaders like Senator Chris Van Hollen and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) for their proactive approaches, emphasizing the importance of responsiveness and genuine representation.

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Strategy for Unseating Incumbents

When asked about the mechanics of his organization’s mission, Hogg outlines a strategic approach focused on primaries in "safe" Democratic districts—those unlikely to switch parties but where incumbents may fail to meet the party's standards.

"We want people to know that they're being watched and that they're going to be held accountable for being as effective as they can be." ([02:52])

Hogg explains that Leaders We Deserve will utilize independent expenditures as a PAC and Super PAC to fund campaigns against identified ineffective members, backed by a substantial financial commitment of $20 million.

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Criteria for Challengers

Ikowitz inquires about the specific attributes sought in candidates poised to challenge incumbents. Hogg emphasizes the importance of authenticity, strong communication skills, and independence from corporate and special interest influences.

"We want somebody who authentically feels like they care... not owned by a corporation, who's not owned by a special interest." ([07:54])

He also highlights key policy areas such as gun safety and campaign finance reform as non-negotiable priorities for potential challengers.

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Addressing Internal Party Criticism

Facing criticism from within the Democratic Party, including comments from DNC Chair Ken Martin that DNC officers should avoid involvement in primaries, Hogg defends his approach by framing it as a necessary evolution for the party's survival.

"Not all this money is being spent on primaries in the first place... We want to build the best Democratic Party possible." ([12:01])

Hogg maintains that the party's low approval ratings necessitate decisive action, even if it means challenging established members, to prevent further electoral losses.

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The Impact on Party Unity and Future Elections

The conversation touches on the potential repercussions of Hogg's strategy on party unity and voter alienation. Hogg acknowledges the risk but argues that internal accountability is crucial for long-term success.

"We want to wait to see if somebody is going to retire here in order to challenge them... ensure that we give our base a voice to be active in these primaries." ([07:14])

He compares the situation to the historical Tea Party movement within the Republican Party, suggesting that proactive internal reforms can mitigate extremist shifts and strengthen the party's foundation.

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Reflections on Electoral Performance and Leadership

Discussing recent electoral outcomes, including Donald Trump's win and Kamala Harris's underperformance with young voters, Hogg reflects on the Democratic Party's struggle to resonate with key demographics.

"This is a crisis moment in our party where the younger segment of Gen Z is dramatically shifting to the right." ([21:22])

He attributes these challenges to ineffective messaging and a disconnect between the party's leadership and its base, reinforcing the need for younger, more relatable leaders within Congress.

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The Role of Youth and Diversity in Congress

Hogg advocates for increased representation of younger individuals in Congress, citing historical precedents of impactful leaders who assumed office at a younger age.

"If we had the same number of people in Congress that are between the ages of 25 and 30 as we do in the general population, we would have over 40 members of Congress that are under the age of 30 right now." ([23:24])

He argues that youthful legislators can bring fresh perspectives and drive legislative productivity, which is essential for addressing contemporary issues effectively.

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Leadership Dynamics Within the Democratic Party

When asked about the current leaders of the Democratic Party, Hogg points to a diverse group of figures rather than a single frontrunner, highlighting the breadth of leadership without a unified presidential nominee.

"We have a plethora of strategies and, and messages because we are not just one type of person." ([24:59])

He stresses the importance of varied leadership approaches to cater to different constituencies, while maintaining a collective focus on combating opposition and upholding democratic principles.

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Conclusion

The episode concludes with Ikowitz summarizing the discussion, noting recent comments from DNC Chair Ken Martin regarding Hogg's primaries initiative. Despite internal disagreements, Hogg remains steadfast in his belief that challenging ineffective incumbents is vital for the Democratic Party's resurgence.

"Our message is never gonna be as united as that... because we are not a cult." ([25:43])

Hogg's strategy represents a bold attempt to recalibrate the party's trajectory by prioritizing efficacy and accountability, aiming to restore voter confidence and enhance the party's performance in future elections.

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Production Credits

Post Reports is produced by Laura Benshoff and Sam Baer, with editing by Rena Flores and Maggie Penman. Video production credits go to Daniel Mish, David Bruns, Justin Sculetti, Peter Stevenson, and Billy Tucker, alongside contributions from Dylan Wells and Dan Egan.

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Note: This summary excludes advertisements, intros, outros, and non-content sections to focus solely on the substantive discussion between Colby Ikowitz and David Hogg.

Transcript

[David Hogg]

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[Colby Ikowitz]

It'S pretty unusual for a top member of Democratic leadership to openly plot to kick incumbents out of office. And yet that's what my guest today is doing. David Hogg is widely known as a survivor of the horrific Parkland school shooting in 2018. He's now the vice chair of the Democratic National Committee, the dnc. It is the party. It sets the agenda. Yet David, he started another organization called Leaders We Deserve. The stated goal of that group is to unseat Democrats in Congress who he says are, quote, asleep at the wheel. He's already promised $20 million for that effort. David hopes this can solve the Democrats popularity problem and propel them back into the majority in 2026. But can it work? From the newsroom of the Washington Post, this is Post Reports. I'm Colby ekowitz. It's Thursday, April 24th. Today, a conversation with a Democratic Party leader who thinks that in order to win, Democrats need to fight each other. David Hogg, thanks so much for joining us.

[David Hogg]

Absolutely.

[Colby Ikowitz]

So, David, I wanted to start with what do you view as being the Democrats fatal flaw right now?

[David Hogg]

I mean, how much time do we have? I'll just go back to last election cycle where voters told us two things. Predominantly, they told us that the president is too old and prices are too high. And with $2 billion behind us, we said, effectively, no, he's not, then, yes, he is. And then we said, no, they aren't right. Voters want people who are just honest with them that say, we hear you, this is what we're doing to address those issues. They don't want to be shown a graph of the GDP and the S&P and the G7 that says, no, you don't understand, you shouldn't feel this way because this graph tells us otherwise. They want to be told of what you were doing about the real challenges that they're facing. And I think frankly too, our party people don't feel like we're fighting for them.

[Colby Ikowitz]

So your proposed solution is to primary Democrats not in competitive districts, but in places that we know Democrats are going to win. And explain to me exactly how the organization plans to go about this.

[David Hogg]

Well, in part, it's our first step here is putting this out there. Right. Ultimately, we want people to know that they're being watched and that they're going to be held accountable for being as effective as they can be. And certainly there are members that are meeting this moment, right? People like Al Green that, that Democrats are seeing fight for them, people like Maxwell Frost, people like aoc, people like Chris Murphy, Senator Van Hollen and others. Our first hope with this is to make sure that we are supporting them and we're showing that while there are some effective people in our party, there certainly are some who are failing to meet the moment and know it's time for them not to seek reelection. Whether that's because they're too old, for example, or if that's because they just aren't able to meet it. Because frankly, unfortunately, sucking is something that is not limited to age. Right? There are great older people, there are terrible younger people, and vice versa. And the way that we plan to do this is we obviously run independent expenditures as a PAC and super pac and they will be pretty substantial.

[Colby Ikowitz]

How do you define effective? You named a bunch of members of Congress who you say that actually are effective right now. So what does that mean to you?

[David Hogg]

I think what it means to me is one, doing town halls in your districts. I think right now there's a division between a lot of the elected leaders in our party and the base of our party because the elected leadership says to themselves, well, we just got to focus on the midterms in these few frontline seats. We just got to focus on those midterms. Whereas the base of the party, they feel isolated, they feel alone, they feel unheard, and they don't feel like they're being fought for. And a lot of that base are obviously in deep blue areas. And what we need to do in order to win is make sure that we're paying attention to our brand. And I think what being effective really looks like is doing things like Senator Van Hollen are doing, not sitting on our hands and saying, oh my God, we're in the minority, we can't do anything. Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen says he has met with Kilmar Abrego Garcia in El Salvador. Van Holland pushed for the meeting after much speculation about Abrego Garcia's well being that meeting coming hours after the senator said he had been blocked, turned away from the mega prison where Abrego Garcia has been held. Of course, it's challenging to do a lot of things when you're in the minority. I acknowledge that. However, we're seeing people that are going out there, like Senator Van Hollen, gain an incredible amount of support. We're seeing people even like Cory Booker going out there and giving that speech that he had. We want to look at this live right now. This is a live look at the House floor. The New Jersey senator has officially been speaking for about 24 hours and 19 minutes straight. And, of course, is that going to change everything? No. But at least we feel like we're being fought for in the first place, and we feel like we're being heard. And in this situation, I think having members face a challenge in a safe seat, there are only potential benefits that can come from that because we're holding our members to a higher standard, we're holding our party to a higher standard, and we're embracing the true Democratic values that our party is named after. Right.

[Colby Ikowitz]

David, have you identified Democrats that you deem ineffective?

[David Hogg]

We have. What I will say is that what we are waiting on right now is whether or not some of them retire, obviously, in part because we don't want to have to primary people if it's unnecessary in the first place. What I will say is there are people that we also have identified who we will not be challenging, we will not be supporting challenges to Nancy Pelosi or Jan Szrakowski, in part, because I think we do need older leaders in our party that are able to mentor the next generation. And I know I have faith in both of those people. And I also have faith in people like Jim Clyburn. I have faith in people like Steny Hoyer as well, that if the moment comes where they feel like they are not able to meet this moment anymore, that they will do the right thing and step aside and not run, run again. Obviously, that is up to them, but they will make that decision because they have such an incredible legacy of leadership. In our party under Congresswoman Pelosi, we saw the first federal gun law get passed in 30 years. Obviously, that's something incredibly important to me. And also we've seen her do an incredible amount of work to hold Donald Trump accountable. And it gets a little complicated because we obviously support younger candidates who are running for office. However, we're not here just to challenge somebody because they're above a certain age. It's not to say it's out with the old and in with the new. I would say it's more accurate to say it's out with the ineffective and in with the effective.

[Colby Ikowitz]

In the first place, Are you willing to say who some of those members are, who you're thinking about challenging?

[David Hogg]

Not currently, because I want to see if they retire over the next few.

[Colby Ikowitz]

Months in some of those districts. Have you identified the challenger yet?

[David Hogg]

Yes.

[Colby Ikowitz]

Okay.

[David Hogg]

I can't say more than that, but yes.

[Colby Ikowitz]

And.

[David Hogg]

And they are truly generational leaders. And I'm. I think a lot of the people who are most critical of this inside of D.C. in particular, it's in part because they don't know who the candidates are yet. But part of the challenge of that is we want to. We want to wait to see if somebody is going to retire here in order to challenge them. But obviously there's a limit to that because our candidates are going to announce. Yeah, I believe, though, once they see some of our candidates, they're going to feel a lot better about this because they. This is, this is something that is going to be very good for the future of our party, especially some of the candidates that we have found.

[Colby Ikowitz]

And what are you looking for in those candidates? Are you looking for certain policy positions? Are you looking for how effective of a communicator they are? Like, what do you want out of a challenger to an ineffective Democrat?

[David Hogg]

I think the first thing is we want somebody who authentically feels like they care. What we're looking for are people that not only are prolific public communicators that can inspire the next generation to show them that the Democratic Party does have a voice for them. Also looking for candidates who can represent for younger people, somebody who is not owned by a corporation, who's not owned by a special interest, for example. And that's why the candidates that we wanna support will agree not to take corporate money. We want young people not to look at the Democratic and Republican parties and say, well, they're both owned by corporations. We wanna show at least there is one group of them that is one segment of them that is not. And it also comes down to all also supporting. Obviously, gun safety is one of those top priorities, along with major campaign finance reform, because that isn't a major part of what has caused so much of the evaporation of the American dream is the proliferation of our special interests that have eroded faith in our democracy, that have eroded faith in our political system, and culminated in the election of people like Donald Trump in the first place.

[Colby Ikowitz]

Yeah, I mean, when I think about this model, the obvious person to think about is Representative Alexandria Ocasio Corches, who you mentioned earlier who obviously ran against an incumbent, an incredibly powerful Democrat in Joe Crowley, and defeated him. I mean, when you think about the perfect model for what you're doing, is she the example?

[David Hogg]

I think it's hard for anybody to argue that she has not become a prolific leader in our party and really making our base feel like they are heard. And she's leading that charge. And I'm so grateful to have her, but I think she can be one example. But it's also about candidates matching the ideologies of their districts. Right. We understand that somebody who runs in New York City is not going to run the same as somebody who runs in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, for example. Those are going to be two very different candidates, and we want to pay attention to that. The most important thing with our candidates, for me, like I said, is that A, that they are good on guns when they run and they're supportive of stronger gun laws and combating gun violence in every way that we can, using the power of the federal government to do that. And two, supporting major campaign finance reform and not to taking corporate money. We have to show our voters that we are here to fight for them and not some corporation.

[Colby Ikowitz]

Yeah. I wonder for you, just thinking about AOC as an example. She hasn't done as much legislatively, but she is considered an incredibly effective communicator. I mean, for you, what is kind of more important? The ability to kind of talk prolifically about passing gun legislation or actually passing gun legislation?

[David Hogg]

I think we can and should do both. I think there's gonna be some people that are much more active and outspoken on this that, you know, are. May have a bigger public presence, but may not be, you know, that legislatively connected inside of Congress in part because they're not afraid to take on fights and call people out when we do need dramatic change when kids are continuing to die in school shootings and gun violence on a daily basis. Look, I, I am doing this because I know the cost of our politicians not doing anywhere near enough. For me, this is much bigger than like, well, this person's been here for 30 years. For me, it's, well, what about the kid that is gonna die next week in a school shooting? That is what I care about. Right. And I don't care how many people that pisses off in this town when I know that the way that I'm going about this is not with an ax, it's with a scalpel. That's why we're trying to do this in, very specifically in safer blue seats and not challenge Frontline candidates.

[Colby Ikowitz]

You mentioned pissing people off in town. I wanted to read you a quote from Representative Hillary Skolton, cuz some Democrats in the House are pretty angry about this. She said this was a disappointment from leadership. I can think of a million better things to do with $20 million right now. There was another Democrat who told Axios that this was, quote, counterproductive. I wonder what you say to those critics of yours in the House.

[David Hogg]

What I would say to them is one, not all this money is being spent on primaries in the first place and two, we had $2 billion last election cycle for the result that we got. But we need to ask ourselves why do we need to spend that much money in the first place? And it's in part because we have an approval rating of 27%. And there are a few people in this town that actually have a plan to address that in the first place in part because they want to do two things at the same time. They want to keep the status quo and they want to win. Those two things are not going to be possible at the 27% approval rating. And what I would say to a lot of the people who don't agree with me is I don't take it personally. Look, we want the same thing here ultimately. We want Democrats to win. I want Democrats to win. And when I'm going on TikTok or I'm going on social media and I'm talking to people about what I'm doing, I am saying to them, look, I understand that you're frustrated. The answer here is not disengaging. It is engaging to build the best Democratic Party possible, whether that's running for state or local office or running for Congress. And I don't take these things personally. I take it as a strategic disagreement is ultimately how I take it. And I know when they see some of our candidates that do come out that they're, they, even some of these critics are going to be very excited about who they are and the potential future that they represent.

[Colby Ikowitz]

After the break, David explains why he wasn't surprised about young voters. Move to the right. We'll be right back.

[Michelle Singletary]

My name is Michelle Singletary and I'm the personal finance columnist for the Washington Post. Was growing up, I was raised by my grandmother who was such a masterful money manager. And I watched her handle her money and talk to me about it. And I like to think that I'm the reader's big mama. There's so much information about your money out there, a lot of it wrong or inappropriate. But when you pay for a subscription to the Post, you're paying for a skilled journalist who has had years of experience, who, who I hope that you can trust. Your subscription helps pay for my salary. It helps pay for the illustrators, the copy editors, all the people who are involved in putting together the material that you read that could help inform your life. I'm Michelle Singletary, and I'm one of the people behind the Post.

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[Colby Ikowitz]

There's long been this idea in Democratic politics that the only way to win is kind of to bring everyone into the middle to win over swing voters. And yet, you know, yourself, aoc, you're pretty polarizing. You've been pretty polarizing only a little bit. Only a little bit fodder for the right pissing off some people within your own party. I mean, are you worried about alienating any of the voters that Democrats for so long have said are absolutely essential to winning national races.

[David Hogg]

No, because we've already alienated them. And it wasn't because I was doing this last cycle we saw major shifts with almost every demographic. Yeah, every single one, except predominantly the elderly and the well educated. And there are two things that really drove me to do this. One, and it happened in the span of about a 24 hour period that made me start thinking a lot about it. I got a call from a friend from college and she said, david, I'm so mad at my Democratic member of Congress for voting to do something. And they were mad at their Democratic member of Congress for voting to censure Al Green. By its adoption of House Resolution 189, the House has resolved that Representative Al Green be censured, that Representative Al Green forthwith present himself in the well of the House of Representatives for the pronouncement of censure, and that Representative Al Green be censured with public reading of this resolution by the Speaker. And look, I have my own frustrations with that. And I said, well, who's your member of Congress? And I looked it up and it was a Democrat and a D&3 seat. And I said, I understand your frustration. I don't agree with this vote either, but do not do this. Yeah, you are going to potentially cost us the House even if you do win your primary and we cannot risk losing the House right now. And she was like, oh, I see. And I said, look, we can help you run for something else for state ledge or local office or whatever else it might be, but please do not do this. And I was able to convince her not to. The next thing that happened is I was in a meeting where I got to see the approval ratings of our party. Yeah, bottom of the chart, the graph just straight down, basically. And I asked them, what did this graph look like for Republicans before the Tea Party? And they said, identical. And I said, got it. We have a real problem on our hands in this election year in the United States. A majority of Americans say the country is on the wrong track. And no segment of the electorate is more frustrated with the US Government and President Barack Obama than the folks driving the Tea Party movement. With the energy of a high octane rock band, they propelled the Republicans to historic wins. Tonight, there's a Tea Party tidal wave. What I'm trying to do with this is instead of having a major moment where everything is getting burned down and we potentially lose the House because our base is so mad at us, we Eat our own alive.

[Colby Ikowitz]

Yeah.

[David Hogg]

That we do it instead of with an axe, with a scalpel, and handle these disagreements in very specific districts where we will not lose the House potentially, but ensure that we give our base a voice to be active in these primaries. And let's not forget a lot of the oldest members of Congress, some of them that are the most against this got involved with politics after protesting the 1968 DNC where they were so furious about the way that the party was keeping people out of the primary process. And primaries are healthy for democracy. And I would argue they were healthy for the Democratic Party because the fact of the matter is, if you were doing your job and you're being effective, this should not concern you. But if you are anxious from listening to this or hearing about this idea, you should ask yourself, if you're a member of Congress, why and how you can change?

[Colby Ikowitz]

Do you see this as the Democrats Tea Party moment?

[David Hogg]

I don't necessarily see this as our Tea Party moment, but I think it can be a moment where we can really strengthen our party by holding ourselves accountable internally more and saying, look, it is okay for us to have primaries. We are the party of democracy. Right. And show people that we actually mean that. And that means holding our own people accountable too, to get the best people possible to serve them in a district and give their voters that option. Because we've replaced those smoke filled back rooms with a culture of seniority politics that says, well, just because you've been there means that you deserve to continue being there instead of having to prove why you're there. And if you're doing your job and your voters believe that you are, you have nothing to worry about here at all. What we're trying to do with this is make sure that all Democrats across the board, specifically in our safer districts, know that they need to step up to meet the plate, to meet this moment and show our base that we are fighting for them. Because far too many of them feel like we are not right now.

[Colby Ikowitz]

I mean, some would argue that what the Republicans did in 2010 with the tea Party movement is what moved the party so far Right. That it's almost unrecognizable to.

[David Hogg]

But they continue to win, too.

[Colby Ikowitz]

Were you surprised by Donald Trump's win in November? And also the fact that Kamala Harris so dramatically underperformed with young voters, like going into the election in November. Was that your expectation?

[David Hogg]

So I would say that this race was incredibly close. Right. I was surprised still that Donald Trump won in part because you just hope that Your side wins, obviously. But ultimately I wasn't surprised by the drift of young people when I was in the National Finance Committee, literally at the dnc, at the convention, as one of the youngest people part of that committee, I got up and said, we have a serious issue with young men. What are we doing about this? And I got an incredible amount of pushback saying this is a ridiculous question from other members in that committee saying, this is a ridiculous question. This is not something we need to focus on and it is idiotic basically of you to focus on this. I said it publicly as well. And then unfortunately, we saw one of the largest shifts of young people to the right in decades. Yeah. And we are at a crisis moment in our party where the younger segment of Gen Z is dramatically shifting to the right and we are failing to meet this moment to show them what we are actually doing to fight for them, when a lot of those young people are the ones that have helped to decide these elections, especially younger people of color in particular. And it is an indictment of the Democratic Party that right now we can't just say, well, the reason why our approvals are where they are is because people haven't seen what Donald Trump is going to do. We're seeing it. He is disappearing people. He is wrecking the stock market by toying with our economy with all this tariff stupidity. And our approvals are still as low as they are. That is an indictment of our party and it is an indictment of not just our messaging, but more than anything, our characters. You can have the best script in the world. If you have bad actors, it doesn't matter.

[Colby Ikowitz]

Well, Dave, I was gonna ask you because for as long as I've been covering politics, Democrats have been talking about affordable housing, they've been talking about lowering healthcare costs. I mean, what do they have to do differently? Cuz they are talking about all those things, but it's obviously not resonating.

[David Hogg]

Well, I think what we need to do differently is get people that are on the front lines of it. Right. If you've been a member of Congress for 30 years, you're making six figures. You're pretty comfortable, to be honest with you. We need the young people that know the anxiety of what it is like to go through a school shooter drill and then go to college and graduate with a lifetime of student debt and then go into a job market where they are going to be faced with a job that does not pay nearly as much as they need it to in order to pay off that student debt, only to then try to get an apartment that they can't afford because there's so much price fixing going on around the country right now through these AI algorithms that different corporations are using to. To price fix that, acutely fuel those issues. And that is why we need those more young people to be elected. Not to mention the fact that we talk about diversity all the time in Congress. We don't talk about age nearly enough in that regard. If we had the same number of people in Congress that are between the ages of 25 and 30 as we do in the general population, we would have over 40 members of Congress that are under the age of 30 right now. Currently there is one. It's Maxwell.

[Colby Ikowitz]

Yeah.

[David Hogg]

And that is not good for the future of our party. Let me tell you why. Whether it's Lincoln, lbj, fdr, or Joe Biden, all of them were elected before they were 30. So many of our nation's most prolific presidents and leaders became, in my opinion, as prolific as they were because they were elected when they were younger. They knew how to play the game, they knew how to get things done, and they became very good executives because of that experience.

[Colby Ikowitz]

David, who. This is something I'm thinking about since November. I mean, who is the leader of the Democratic Party right now?

[David Hogg]

Right now? I would say it is a culmination of people. I think for some people, it's aoc. I think for some people, it is people like Hakeem Jeffries for. For other people, it's. It's people like Ro Khanna and others. And frankly, that's naturally going to happen when you don't have a nominee for president. And I think that's okay. Right. And I think the fact of the matter is, when we are the Democratic Party, we're going to have a litany of people that are the leaders of our party. And eventually, of course, we're going to have a nominee for president. And that will help to consolidate that answer of who the leader is. But right now, we have a bunch of people around the country who are leaders for different constituents. And people say a lot of the time, too, that, well, Democrats, we just need a more united message. We just got to be better at our messaging.

[Colby Ikowitz]

Yeah.

[David Hogg]

The reality is, when you are teamed up against somebody that has a cult of personality of someone that says either you believe this or you're excommunicated and you're not part of this party anymore, our message is never gonna be as united as that. And in some senses, I think that is okay because we are not a cult. And I don't want us to be in that situation where just what one person says is what all of us have to believe. I think that is one of the strengths of the Democratic Party is we have a plethora of strategies and, and messages because we are not just one type of person. We are a very diverse group of people, and that's gonna result in a slightly more diverse message, and that is okay. What we need to do, though, is be united in fighting back against Donald Trump in tangible ways and showing them that we are not just as some people have advocated for just hiding or not saying anything and just hoping that things are gonna get better when our Constitution is under attack, when the foundations of our democracy are being eroded away and we have a president that is not listening to the Supreme Court and disappearing people while also crashing the stock market at the same time.

[Colby Ikowitz]

Well, David, thank you so much for joining us. I really appreciate all your thoughts and insights.

[David Hogg]

Absolutely.

[Colby Ikowitz]

David Hogg is vice chair of the DNC and co founder of Leaders We Deserve. After we recorded this interview, the chair of the Democratic National Committee, Ken Martin, made a pointed comment Thursday about Hogg's efforts to primary incumbent Democrats. Martin said that no DNC officer should be involved in primary contests. That's it for Post Reports. Thanks for listening. If you want to watch this conversation on YouTube, you'll find a link in our show notes. Today's show was produced by Laura Benshoff and Sam Baer, who also mixed the show. It was edited by Rena Flores and Maggie Penman. And special thanks for the video production to Daniel Mish, David Bruns, Justin Sculetti, Peter Stevenson and Billy Tucker. Thanks also to Dylan Wells and Dan Egan. I'm Colby Ikowicz. Another thing, it's take your kid to work day here at the Washington Post, so I'm going to pass things over now to my kiddo Evie to close us out. Hi, I'm Evie Kurtz. We'll be back tomorrow with more stories from the Washington Post. Thanks, Ev. You're welcome.

[David Hogg]

Okay, Real Talk, we're all kind of hooked on our phones. It's full of shiny apps designed to keep your attention captive forever. But there's real life stuff to do other than scrolling, and I'm here to help. I'm Christina Quinn, the host of Try this, a podcast from the Washington Post. The show explores solutions for life's common problems. And this season, we're learning to tame the dopamine beast and reclaim our attention in this noisy and distracting world. So let's tame the beast together find. Try this from the Washington Post, wherever you listen.