David Hogg Claims Progressive Insurgency Proves His Early Challenge Was Right

In an op-ed published on Commondreams, 26-year-old activist David Hogg argues that recent primary victories by progressive candidates demonstrate that his earlier call for the Democratic National Committee (DNC) to back primary challengers was correct. He links the success of candidates such as Dr. Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan, mayoral hopeful Zohran Mamdani in New York City, and several congressional hopefuls to the work of his organization, Leaders We Deserve.

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He frames the removal as retaliation by the party establishment for his “radical” views.

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According to Hogg, state-level candidates backed by Leaders We Deserve have posted an 18-to-1 win-loss record in this election cycle. He cites Dr. Abdul El-Sayed’s Senate primary upset—overcoming more than $60 million in outside spending, half of which he attributes to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC)—as a hallmark victory. Additional wins mentioned include Donavan McKinney in Michigan, Claire Valdez in New York, and Randy Villegas in California, each securing Democratic nominations for the U.S. House.

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Hogg contends that the surge of progressive victories counters the narrative that Democrats must move rightward to retain young voters. He further claims that the establishment’s fear of “electability” is unfounded, describing progressives as a “dominant force.”

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• “A year ago, I was removed from my position as vice chair of the DNC for daring to suggest that we needed to challenge geriatric, corrupt, and asleep-at-the-wheel Democrats in safe blue seats,” — David Hogg

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• “As we saw in Mamdani’s race, and in races with progressive candidates across the country,” — David Hogg

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• “A year ago, cable news pundit panels, elected officials, campaign strategists, and the entire establishment told me I was crazy for daring to challenge our party to do better,” — David Hogg

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