David Hogg, a survivor of the 2018 shooting at his high school in Parkland, Florida, who has become a national anti-violence activist, has launched a bid to lead the Democratic National Committee.
Hogg, 24, announced Monday that he is running to become vice chairman of the DNC, arguing that he would focus on winning back young voters who have drifted from the Democratic Party to the Republicans. The shift came profound and abrupt in November, when young voters who overwhelmingly favored President Joe Biden just four years ago backed Donald Trump in greater numbers than any Republican presidential candidate since 2008, NBC News exit polls show .
“Going forward, we must have a renewed focus on our youth activities across all states and territories to rebuild our coalition after the huge shift to the right among young voters this election,” Hogg said in a statement.
In addition to reaching young voters, Hogg is urging the party to look deeper within itself and assess the setbacks that befell Democrats on Nov. 5. He was critical of, among others, some members of Vice President Kamala Harris’ team, saying they adopted an almost blasé attitude after Harris lost, despite repeatedly warning of the dangers Trump would bring to democracy if re-elected.
‘You raised an absurd amount of money. This was our race to achieve that [win]and we lost it. And it’s time to really pull back the curtain and say, “Okay, what did we do wrong?” instead of just protecting the advisors who got us to this place in the first place,” Hogg said in an interview.
Hogg said he is taking an aggressive approach to the vice chairman race, having already emailed all 448 active members of the DNC who would cast their votes and quickly booked follow-up calls.
Hogg expressed outrage at what he described as a lack of awareness within the party in the months before the election. Hogg said he asked at a brunch during August’s Democratic National Convention in Chicago why the party wasn’t doing more to reach young men.
“I got messages from several advisors saying, ‘Please say this stupid stuff again.’ As if they know what young people are thinking when it is emblematic of the broader problem of the Democratic Party, where we would rather live in a fictional reality constructed by consultants,” Hogg said.
Hogg rose to national prominence after the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, which left 17 people dead. He and his classmates stepped forward and organized marches demanding stricter gun laws.
In the aftermath of the shooting, Hogg and classmates founded the gun safety group March For Our Lives, which is proud to have helped pass more than 250 gun safety laws.
Hogg then founded Leaders We Deserve, a group focused on electing young people to local and national public office.
Hogg said he fears Trump’s term could threaten some of the gun safety initiatives and that Democrats are not taking such threats more seriously — especially after warning about them in the run-up to the election.
“What kills me is the people who leave the party after the election and the general atmosphere is, ‘Well, there’s nothing we could have done differently. Let’s throw up our hands and get our consulting jobs in corporate America.’ I’ll see you there,'” Hogg said.
Hogg’s announcement is the latest activity surrounding new DNC leadership since current Chairman Jaime Harrison announced he was stepping down. The party itself is reeling after losing the White House to Trump, even though it outpaced him and boasted superior organizational strength in the weeks leading up to the election.
Candidates for the DNC chairmanship must hold forums in January before the committee’s membership votes on February 1. Announcements so far include Vice Chairman Ken Martin, the Minnesota party chairman. Party Chairman Ben Wikler of Wisconsin; former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley; and New York State Senator James Skoufis.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
