The vice chair of the Democratic National Committee has unveiled a $20 million campaign to challenge entrenched Democratic lawmakers in safe districts, aiming to bring progressive leaders to Congress, The Hill reported.
David Hogg announced Monday that his group, Leaders We Deserve, has launched a $20 million initiative to fund primary challenges against House Democrats in safe districts, focusing on ushering in a new era of youthful, progressive candidates.
“We’re not only focused on targeting Democratic incumbents when necessary,” Hogg told The Hill in an interview Wednesday. “We are here to elect young people who are running in open seats. We’re here to elect young people that are running open, competitive seats as well, and support them when they align with our values.”
According to Hogg, the campaign does not seek to promote young Democrats indiscriminately but rather those he described as “ready to meet the moment.”
“Earlier, somebody said to me, ‘Oh, you’re here to replace the old with new.’ I would say we’re here to replace the ineffective with the new and effective,” he said.
Leaders We Deserve supports state House candidates age 30 and younger and federal candidates age 35 and younger. The group spent $12 million in the 2024 election cycle and is significantly increasing its spending this cycle.
Hogg criticized current leaders for allowing problems such as school shootings, climate change, student debt, and unaffordable housing to persist — challenges he says have disproportionately affected younger Americans.
“That is a democratic society that has enabled that to happen,” he said. “What we have to do in our party is show how we are standing up against special interests to fight for everyday people and deliver for Americans across the country.”
While Hogg’s group is targeting certain incumbents, he emphasized that Democrats in swing districts or “frontline” seats will not be challenged by his organization.
“There are members that I certainly do not agree with by any means but we have to make sure we can keep to our majority in Congress,” he said.
He added that the effort is not a blanket assault on all safe blue districts.
“The reality is you should not be worried about this if you are a member of Congress, if you are effective like [Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill.], for example, or [former Speaker] Nancy Pelosi. What we are looking at is places where the elected official has not done a great job being effective against [President Donald] Trump.”
The campaign comes amid a wave of challenges from younger progressives. Former Capitol Hill staffer Jake Rakov is challenging Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Calif. Former Pelosi staffer Saikat Chakrabarti, now a tech billionaire, is challenging Pelosi herself. Schakowsky faces a primary opponent in progressive media personality Kat Abughazaleh.
“Democrats are united in taking back the majority in the House, and that’s the top focus of the DCCC,” said Rep. Suzan DelBene, D-Wash., who is chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
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