The Democratic National Committee’s credentials panel voted Monday to void activist David Hogg’s election as vice chair of the party. Hogg, a survivor of the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, was elected to the position in February. However, his plans to spend $20 million targeting veteran Democratic House members in primary challenges have drawn criticism from within the party.
“[It’s] impossible to ignore the broader context of my work to reform the party which loomed large over this vote,” Hogg said in a statement after the vote, according to Politico. “The DNC has pledged to remove me, and this vote has provided an avenue to fast-track that effort,” he added.
The committee determined that procedural violations took place during the February election and voted to void the elections of both David Hogg and Pennsylvania State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta as DNC vice chairs. However, Hogg and Kenyatta will continue serving in their roles until the full Democratic National Committee votes later this year on whether to finalize their removals. Christine Pelosi, a member of the credentials committee and daughter of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), emphasized that the decision to nullify Hogg’s election was based on procedural grounds, not political motivations.
“First, I want to say clearly and explicitly that this decision has nothing to do with the service of any DNC officer, especially [Hogg] or [Kenyatta]. This is about a violation of parliamentary procedure that was raised in a challenge filed back in February by another candidate for Vice Chair,” Pelosi wrote on X. After the panel rejected Pelosi’s proposal to “uphold the elections” and make changes to future procedures, “the Credentials Committee voted on a resolution that recommends that the DNC complete the Vice Chair election, and administer new ballots for the final two Vice Chair positions.”
Pelosi mentioned that Hogg is eligible to run in the election redo and expressed her hope that he will decide to do so. “I think I speak for all of us on the Committee when I say I hope both of these talented individuals put their names on the ballot again,” she said. “We’ll move fast to get this resolved. I have total faith in our DNC members to review this issue and vote their conscience.”
