DNC Chair Ken Martin (right) gave vice chair David Hogg an ultimatum to stay out of primary politics or remain neutral if he wants to keep his job. (Getty/AP)
David Hogg, the 25-year-old survivor of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, drew sharp attention by spending money against fellow Democrats—a move a DNC official called unprecedented. The action has deepened internal party tensions that have simmered since President Donald Trump’s decisive election last November.
"I have great respect for David Hogg. I think he's an amazing young leader who's done so much already to help move our movement forward," Martin said.
But the DNC chair added that while he understands what Hogg is trying to do, "I've said to him, 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."
"It's important for us to maintain the trust that we have built with Democratic voters and to keep our thumb off the scale as party officers," Martin added.
Jane Kleeb, the president of the Association of State Democratic Chairs (ASDC) who joined Martin on the call, noted, "I, too, have a deep relationship with David. I was just talking with him this morning. We hope that he realizes that he got elected to be an officer of the DNC, which means that we remain neutral."
Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California is interviewed by Fox News Digital at Yale University, on April 15, 2025, in New Haven, Connecticut. Khanna expressed his support for DNC vice chair Hogg's primary strategy. (Fox News - Paul Steinhauser)
In a social media post, Khanna said last week he supports Hogg's primary plan and urged Democrats to "embrace a new generation of leadership & competition!"
But while Democrats are increasingly energized to resist Trump, a slew of national polls this year indicated the favorability ratings of the Democratic Party sinking to all-time lows.
Martin's comments on DNC neutrality in primaries came as he and Kleeb announced a $1 million investment in Democratic state parties.
The chair called the investment "historic" and said that it "will remake how we do business and how we achieve sustained political power in the Democratic Party."
"I ran for this job to get the DNC out of the D.C. . . . I don't think it benefits Democrats to sit in Washington and gaze at the problem and expect solutions to present themselves. Everyone here just wants to win the argument. I want to win elections, and you win elections in the States. So, that's where the DNC will invest our resources," Martin said.
James Carville (left) criticized DNC vice chair David Hogg's plan to primary incumbent Democrats. ((Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images for SCAD)(Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images))
During an interview with CNN last week, longtime Democratic strategist James Carville ripped Hogg for challenging those within his own party when he could be investing those same funds to "take on a Republican."
"The most insane thing I ever heard is the vice chair of the Democratic National Committee is spending $20 million running against other Democrats. Aren't we supposed to run against Republicans?" Carville asked.
Carville said Hogg's job is to challenge Republicans, not Democrats, and suggested Hogg's investment breached his "fiduciary duty" to the Democratic Party. Other strategists have joined Carville in calling out Hogg's "insane behavior."
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"When @davidhogg111 became Vice-Chair, I was quoted worrying he would not make the switch from activist to his new role. And he didn't. This is insane behavior from a DNC official, especially as Trump takes a chainsaw to our democracy," Democratic strategist Matt Bennett said on X.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/democrats-vice-chair-gets-ultimatum-neutral-primaries-down-party-leadership