Leaders We Deserve, a political organization founded by Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting survivor and Democratic National Committee Vice Chairman David Hogg, announced Wednesday that it will spend $20 million to help elect younger leaders, including primary challengers to House Democrats who hold safe Democratic seats.
“The first and most important thing to understand here is that it isn’t always as simple as getting rid of the old and embracing the new. I would say it’s time to get rid of the ineffective and embrace the effective.
That is what we are doing here,” Hogg, 25, told ABC News’ Jay O’Brien on Wednesday afternoon. “Any person that has eyes can see that we are 27% approval with our base and we need dramatic change.”
The move pits Hogg, a member of the party leadership and one of its vice chairs, against the party establishment and other Democratic leaders, who typically avoid supporting challengers to Democratic incumbents.
However, it comes as Democratic-aligned voters express dissatisfaction with how the Democratic Party is responding to the second Trump administration — and as some within the party call for a new generation of leadership and representation in Congress, causing concern among some older House and Senate Democrats.
“While [President Donald] Trump creates new existential crises every day, too many elected leaders in the Democratic Party are either unwilling or unable to meet the moment,” he explained in a previous statement.
“We need a stronger Democratic Party that is ready to fight back,” he told reporters. “Part of making that a reality is replacing ineffective, asleep-at-the-wheel members with Democrats who have the energy, passion, and vision to meet this moment with the urgency our country deserves.”
Several Democrats have already announced that they will run against longtime House members in the 2026 congressional primaries. Kat Abughazaleh, a researcher and social media personality, has announced a primary challenge to 14-term Rep. Jan Schakowsky, a Democrat from Illinois. Schakowsky has not announced whether she will run for reelection.
“This cycle, we are concentrating on House seats in particular. “Those are the seats that we are focusing on because we want to be as effective as possible in giving these young people a chance,” Hogg told ABC News.
The announcement from Leaders We Deserve, which Hogg co-founded in 2023 and serves as president, did not specify which candidates the group intends to support.
The group stated that it will not challenge “front-line” members facing tough reelection battles against Republicans, nor “older Democratic leaders like Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi,” who it claims have successfully confronted Trump and Republicans.
The New York Times was first to report the announcement.
In a statement to ABC News, Democratic National Committee Chairman Ken Martin thanked Hogg for his contributions to the party while reiterating the DNC’s position of not taking sides in primary elections.
“David Hogg is a passionate advocate and we are grateful for his service to the Democratic Party, whether it be in his role as a DNC Vice Chair or in an outside capacity,” Martin wrote in a statement.
“In order to ensure we are as effective as possible at electing Democrats to office, it is the DNC’s longstanding position that primary voters — not the national party — determine their Democratic candidates for the general election.”
According to the DNC, the party does not intervene in primaries to allow voters to express their opinions while also maintaining relationships with candidates.
The DNC also stated that Hogg was the only party officer who did not sign a “neutrality policy” that requires officials not to take any actions that could call their or the party’s impartiality into question.
The party said it will discuss unspecified next steps with Hogg and party committees.
Hogg was elected as a DNC vice chair during the party’s February elections.