I Hate to Say This But DNC Vice Chair David Hogg's New Maneuver Is Ill-Advised--and Worse-Timed [View all]

The one thing that this time in history doesn't need is a well-financed primary campaign against safe incumbents.

By Charles P. PiercePublished: Apr 16, 2025 6:27 PM EDT

David Hogg is exactly what we expect from a citizen touched by unthinkable tragedy. Having survived the 2018 massacre at Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, he immediately dove into constructive political action, first on serious gun reform, and then within Democratic party politics, rising to his present position as DNC vice-chairman. Which makes it difficult to point out that his latest project couldn't be more ill-advised and, worse, incredibly ill-timed. It is a perfect example of something that is in the right place. but at the wrong time....

The one thing that this time in history doesn't need is a well-financed primary campaign against safe incumbents. In the first place, opening primary campaigns opens them to everyone, including well-financed nuisance candidates and, worse, outright ratfcking operations. It will force safe incumbents to raise more money, much of which must come from sources distant from Hogg's own purposes. Second, it will divide the only viable opposition to a genuine established threat to American democracy. It will provide the robot army of the elite political media with their favorite narrative on a national basis.

Even a stultified Democratic House majority is preferable to any kind of Republican majority, now that the GOP has gone completely mad. Only then can the serious work of renovating the creaking Democratic party machinery truly begin....

Unfortunately, last November proved that the entire country is not the Democratic base, not by a longshot. This reeks of being an untenable short-cut to the real work that needs to be done.

https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/a64504888/dnc-democratic-primaries-support-new-candidates/