DNC vice chair David Hogg announced he is withdrawing from the do-over elections for his party officer position, hours after members of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) voted 294–99 to overturn the Feb. 1 election result that saw him and Pennsylvania state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta elected as vice chairs.
The vote authorized new elections in the coming days.
The previous election was called into question by Democratic Party Oklahoma representative and attorney Kalyn Free, who said its structure made it “mathematically impossible” for a woman to win.
There were two empty vice chair slots, and the DNC’s complex gender parity statutes required that the first slot be filled by a man; the second could be any gender. Instead of holding two separate elections, the DNC placed all five candidates on one ballot, put both seats on that ballot, and combined the results.
This gave the two men on the ballot a mathematical advantage over the three female candidates, critics said. Kenyatta received 289 votes, and Hogg received 214.
The DNC will now hold the do-over elections with the same candidates minus Hogg via electronic balloting. The first election, which must appoint a man according to DNC rules, will be held June 12–15. The second, which may be any gender, will be held on June 15–17.
Hogg released a statement on his decision to remove himself as a candidate and his dedication to the work of his PAC, Leaders We Deserve. The party has a long-standing norm of neutrality for party officers to avoid perceived favoritism for certain primary candidates.
"I came into this role to play a positive role in creating the change our party needs. It is clear that there is a fundamental disagreement about the role of a Vice Chair—and it’s okay to have disagreements. What isn’t okay is allowing this to remain our focus when there is so much more we need to be focused on," Hogg said in the statement.
"Ultimately, I have decided to not run in this upcoming election so the party can focus on what really matters. I need to do this work with Leaders We Deserve, and it is going to remain my number one mission to build the strongest party possible."
Upon news of Hogg’s withdrawal, DNC Chair Ken Martin thanked the would-be candidate for his efforts to forward the Democratic Party.
"I appreciate his service as an officer, his hard work, and his dedication to the party,” Martin said. “I commend David for his years of activism, organizing, and fighting for his generation, and while I continue to believe he is a powerful voice for this party, I respect his decision to step back from his post as Vice Chair. “I have no doubt that he will remain an important advocate for Democrats across the map."
“If you want to challenge incumbents, you’re more than free to do that, but just not as an officer of the DNC, because our job is to be neutral arbiters. We can’t be both the referee and also the player at the same time,” Martin said.
On June 8, audio from a Zoom call with Martin criticizing Hogg was leaked to Politico. In the recording, Martin accuses Hogg of impeding his leadership, expresses frustration with his job, and seems to choke up at the end of the recording.
Over the last few weeks, Hogg also appeared in a Project Veritas video where he criticized Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) for her stock trading activity.