The Democratic National Committee’s latest stunt smells like a witch hunt aimed at ousting Vice Chair David Hogg. On May 12, 2025, the DNC’s credentials committee voted to address a supposed procedural hiccup in the February vice chair elections, setting the stage for a potential redo that could boot Hogg and co-chair Malcolm Kenyatta.
Newsweek reported that the DNC’s credentials committee, after a marathon three-hour debate, decided to tackle a glitch from the February elections, potentially forcing a new vote in August.
Kalyn Free, who lost the vice chair race, whined that the DNC’s voting process violated gender balance rules by combining questions into a single vote. It’s a convenient excuse for a party itching to silence Hogg’s reformist noise.
Hogg, never one to shy from a fight, called the vote a step to “remove me from my position.” He’s been ruffling feathers by pushing for primary challenges against entrenched Democrats, a move that’s earned him more enemies than friends in the party’s old guard. Actions, it seems, have consequences.
The credentials committee’s decision doesn’t automatically mean Hogg and Kenyatta are out, but it paves the way for a full DNC vote in August 2025.
If the DNC membership agrees, both vice chairs could face a new election, a prospect that has Hogg crying foul. “This vote was based on how the DNC conducted its elections, which I had nothing to do with,” he said, conveniently sidestepping his role in stirring the pot.
Hogg’s reform crusade has exposed the DNC’s fault lines, especially since the party’s 2024 electoral drubbing. His call for primaries to shake up the status quo has rankled party loyalists who prefer their cozy fiefdoms unchallenged. The credentials vote feels less like a fix for fairness and more like a cudgel to crush dissent.
Malcolm Kenyatta, caught in the crossfire, isn’t thrilled either, calling the decision a “slap in my face.” He insists this isn’t just about Hogg, despite the latter’s knack for grabbing headlines. “I worked my ass off to get this role,” Kenyatta said, but his frustration might not sway a party bent on damage control.
Hogg remains defiant, vowing to keep fighting even if ousted. “I’m still going to fight to build the strongest Democratic Party possible,” he declared, painting himself as a martyr for reform. It’s a bold stance, but one that ignores how his antics have alienated the very allies he needs.
DNC Chair Ken Martin, trying to play peacemaker, admitted the procedural error predates his tenure. “I pledged to run the DNC with integrity,” he said, promising a bylaw to keep staff neutral in primaries. Nice words, but they do little to mask the party’s scramble to save face.
The DNC’s internal chaos isn’t new, but this latest episode highlights its inability to unite. Polls show Kamala Harris leading the 2028 presidential pack, with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and others trailing, yet the party seems more focused on purging Hogg than planning a comeback. Priorities, anyone?
Curiously, Hogg’s loudest defender comes from an unlikely corner: MAGA enthusiast Alex Bruesewitz. “David Hogg’s activism has significantly bolstered support for President Trump,” Bruesewitz claimed, crediting Hogg’s missteps for swelling MAGA ranks. It’s a backhanded compliment that must sting.
Bruesewitz went further, demanding the DNC halt its “unjust maneuver” to oust Hogg. “Protecting democracy begins with standing firmly with David Hogg,” he said, tongue firmly in cheek. The irony of MAGA championing a gun-control advocate like Hogg is almost too rich to handle.
Waleed Shahid, a progressive activist, also chimed in, noting the DNC’s obsession with Hogg overshadows any real reflection on its 2024 failures. “The DNC has spent much more time discussing their 25-year-old vice chair than on any sort of audit,” he said. It’s a damning critique of a party lost in its drama.
Kenyatta, meanwhile, insists the narrative shouldn’t center on Hogg alone. “Any story that neatly places this into a narrative about David Hogg is wrong,” he said, frustrated by the overshadowing spotlight. Yet Hogg’s knack for controversy makes that a tough sell.
The DNC’s move to redo the vote could backfire, alienating younger members who see Hogg as a fresh voice, however divisive. Martin’s promise of fairness rings hollow when the process feels like a targeted hit. Transparency, it seems, is in short supply.