David Hogg’s infusion of young blood, wild ideas into the Democratic Party makes its leaders squeal

The hottest thing in Democratic politics right now is a 25-year-old who is challenging the party’s old guard in ways not seen in years.

David Hogg, a Gen Z wunderkind, has sparked a feverish fight by calling for primaries to oust “ineffective, asleep-at-the-wheel” Democrats in safe districts and show voters that the party has learned lessons from its disastrous 2024 election outcomes.

His revolt is getting the most attention, but he also has touched the third rail of Democratic ideology: questioning the party’s adherence to gender identity politics. He suggested that the Democratic National Committee scrap its gender identity rule for party leadership positions.

“I don’t even know if it makes sense for us to have the gender balance rule anymore in this day and age because I want to focus on whoever is just best at the job at this point,” Mr. Hogg, sounding like a conservative anti-woke crusader, said on a recent episode of HBO’s “Real Time With Bill Maher.”

“That is my own view,” he said.

He warned that Democrats were shedding support among young men who feel the party has become too judgy and that they must tread carefully to avoid offending anyone.

“Young people should be able to focus on what young people should be focused on, which is how to get laid and how to go and have fun,” Mr. Hogg said.

His beef with the party’s gender balance rules could be considered self-serving.

Mr. Hogg was elected to a co-vice chair position at the DNC, but the vote has been called into question over a gender balancing rule. Mr. Hogg could lose his post in a do-over.

He said it is an attempt to silence his push for a party shake-up. That includes his plan to have his political committee, Leaders We Deserve, invest $20 million to challenge Democrats in safe seats.

“I am challenging the status quo in a direct way and head-on, and that really scares people,” Mr. Hogg said on MSNBC this week. “Frankly, I think right now, nobody should be comfortable when our country is in a moment of crisis, and I think there is too much comfortability across the board.”

DNC Chair Ken Martin has signaled plans to enact structural reforms, including requiring party officers to remain neutral in primary races.

Mr. Hogg is plowing ahead.

Leaders We Deserve endorsed state Sen. Robert Peters on Thursday in the race for the open seat in Illinois’ 2nd Congressional District. Rep. Robin Kelly is vacating the seat to run for the U.S. Senate.

The group plans to endorse liberals running against incumbent Democrats in other primary races.

For a party reeling from a poor showing in the 2024 elections, Mr. Hogg’s antics strike some Democrats as too much.

Among those is Mr. Hogg’s co-vice chair, Malcolm Kenyatta, who will also have to run again for the post and says Mr. Hogg is “not being honest” about the whole affair.

“One hundred three days since I’ve been in this role, I’ve traveled over 20,000 miles for this party. Been to eight states, held over three dozen events,” he said Wednesday on SiriusXM’s “Karen Hunter Show.” “David Hogg has spent his time going on TV bashing the Democratic Party.

“To be clear, the Democratic Party has reasons that we should be upset. Reasons that I’m upset, but spending every day on TV saying we suck is not changing the party,” Mr. Kenyatta said.

Mr. Hogg gained fame after surviving the 2018 Parkland High School shooting massacre in Florida and becoming an outspoken gun control activist and co-founder of March for Our Lives.

“Clearly, Parkland spurred something in him and he has become pretty good at stirring the pot, getting media coverage and getting a lot of attention to the issues that he cares about,” said Aubrey Jewett, a professor of political science at the University of Central Florida. “He has been pretty adroit at getting social media coverage and getting his issue and name out there and in front of the public.

“Part of the way you can tell if someone is successful is the backlash he has caused, and he has caused an awful lot of backlash,” Mr. Jewett said.

Mr. Maher, the HBO host, said he was taken aback by all the “hate” directed at the young Democrat after his appearance on his show.

“When I listen to him, I definitely can see him as a future leader in the party,” Mr. Maher said on Reddit. “Are people upset with him threatening to primary Democrats? Or do they think he’s just an opportunist?”

The responses poured in.

Critics described Mr. Hogg as an “opportunist from day one,” “unbearable” and “pretentious” and said he speaks too much like a traditional politician.

“The DNC is hopeless if he’s going to be the young face of the party,” a respondent said.

Supporters praised Mr. Hogg as “bright,” “well-spoken” and “the real deal.” They said he “calls it like it is” and could envision him being elected to Congress.

“As a millennial and lifelong Democrat, I like having him be a gadfly to the Democratic Party Establishment that refuses to change and insists we are still living by the rules of the 2000s,” another respondent said. “It never hurts to have younger, straight, male voices to help modernize a party dominated by ineffective geriatrics.”

Along the way, Mr. Hogg has won over some of his harshest Democratic critics.

That includes James Carville, who initially called Mr. Hogg a “contemptible little twerp” but later said he had changed his mind.

“He reminded me of the story of, after the battle of Shiloh, Henry Halleck urged President Lincoln to fire Ulysses Grant. Lincoln said: ‘I can’t fire him. This man fights,’” Mr. Carville wrote on X. “David Hogg fights. The DNC needs him.”