OAN Staff Brooke Mallory
4:54 PM – Tuesday, June 10, 2025
According to a recent report, tensions are escalating between David Hogg and the leadership on the Democratic National Committee (DNC), as the organization is purportedly considering the possibility of “redoing” Hogg’s election to the position of vice chair — instead choosing someone better fitted for the position.
Leaked audio captured DNC Chair Ken Martin expressing deep frustration with Hogg, who has faced internal criticism for his attempts to unseat select incumbents during his tenure as DNC vice chair.
The leak emerged just one day before DNC officials were scheduled to hold a virtual vote on whether to redo the vice chair elections—a move that is “technically” unrelated to the controversy surrounding Hogg.
Meanwhile, it has also highlighted the growing frustration among many within the party toward the 25-year-old gun control extremist. While some progressives have gone as far as to label him an “unlikable” grifter, others have accused the DNC of uprooting Hogg too quickly.
“David Hogg is one of the biggest distractions we’ve had and seen in our party,” said Democrat strategist Antjuan Seawright, who says that he hopes Hogg loses his seat. “I don’t trust him and I don’t think a lot of other people who are associated with the party should trust him.”
Hogg has reportedly triggered a number of members of the Democrat Party by showing no intention of backing down from his involvement in primary elections, despite clear objections from Chair Ken Martin and other party leaders who view such actions as inappropriate for anyone in his role.
This simmering conflict reached a boiling point last month when Martin voiced his frustration with Hogg during a Zoom call with fellow DNC officers—remarks that were captured in leaked audio and reported by the outlet Politico over the weekend.
“I’m just quite frustrated to be in this position, because what you’ve done, whether you like it or not or know it or not, David, is I’m trying to — no one knows who the hell I am, right?” Martin said on the call, seemingly addressing Hogg, according to audio published by the left-wing outlet.
“I’m trying to get my sea legs underneath me and actually develop any amount of credibility so I can go out there and raise the money and do the job I need to, to put ourselves in a position to win,” he continued. “And again, I don’t think you intended this, but you essentially destroyed any chance I have to show the leadership that I need to, so it’s really frustrating.”
Martin also indicated in the recordings that he had contemplated resigning from his position as chair just a few months into his tenure.
“I’m not going anywhere,” he assured later in a statement following the release of the recordings. “I took this job to fight Republicans, not Democrats. As I said when I was elected, our fight is not within the Democratic Party, our fight is and has to be solely focused on Donald Trump and the disastrous Republican agenda. That’s the work that I will continue to do every day.”
Following the Politico piece, a number of DNC executives expressed their support for Martin, with many criticizing Hogg for his role in the tension.
“We have a lot of work to do as a party, and Chair Martin is doing it,” said Stuart Appelbaum, a DNC associate chair. “I have total confidence in his leadership.”
Meanwhile, Hogg has attempted to distance himself from both the leaked audio and its dissemination, addressing the matter in a post on Elon Musk’s social media platform, X. In a separate statement, he characterized the controversy surrounding the call as a “distraction.”
“Republicans want us turning on each other so they can continue getting away with this. While Chair Martin and I have had our disagreements we are both in this to build the strongest party possible,” Hogg stated. “Our nation is in a moment of crisis and the people are looking for us to lead. This is a distraction that prevents us from doing that. Do not help the GOP.”
According to insiders who reached out to the press, the situation has left many involved Democrats feeling both frustrated and exasperated, with some arguing that the controversy is diverting attention at a critical moment—just as “party leaders are working to respond to Trump’s deployment” of the military to California amid anti-ICE-related riots and protests.
At the same time, the Donkey Party is also preparing for the upcoming midterms, where it so desperately hopes to reclaim control of the House and the Senate from the GOP.
“It shows that we’re no different than [Republicans], and it shows that we haven’t learned lessons from the past,” Seawright stated. “We’ve seen what happens when you are not unified. We’ve seen what happens when there’s in-party fighting. We’ve seen what happens when selfish people try to poke their selfish heads up to make headlines instead of headway.”
Additionally, another Democrat strategist, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, stated that Hogg is “over his skis” according to The Hill outlet.
“We are relying on the experience of a gun violence prevention activist, now Democratic Party leader, three years out of college,” the strategist stated. “[Hogg] does not have the shared experience of Ken and others on that call.”
“It’s hard to not look at this and say this is someone who is clearly trying to build their profile,” they added.
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