DNC Chair Demands David Hogg Choose Between Vice-Chair Role and Primarying Dems: 'Can't Be Both the Referee and Also the Player'

Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chair Ken Martin has formally introduced a proposal requiring party officers to remain neutral in primary elections, setting up a showdown with DNC Vice Chair David Hogg, who recently announced plans to spend $20m to primary "out-of-touch" and "ineffective" Democratic incumbents through his grassroots organization Leaders We Deserve.

The proposal would force Hogg to choose between his leadership position in the party and his role leading the effort. "If you want to challenge incumbents, you're more than free to do that, but just not as an officer of the DNC," Martin said in a press call reported by The Guardian. "We can't be both the referee and also the player at the same time. You have to make a decision."

Hogg, 25 and a survivor of the 2018 Parkland school shooting, was elected DNC vice chair in February. Since then he has emerged as a leading advocate for generational turnover in Democratic leadership.

"This is going to anger a lot of people," Hogg said of his efforts according to The New York Times, acknowledging the tension his initiative has caused. "People say they want change in the Democratic Party, but really they want change so long as it doesn't potentially endanger their position of power."

Hogg is the only officer who declined to sign a recent DNC neutrality pledge, circulated privately to prevent conflicts of interest. Martin reiterated that the party's longstanding position is to let primary voters, not party officials, determine nominees.

"We hope that he realizes that he got elected to be an officer of the DNC, which means that we remain neutral," said Jane Kleeb, chair of Nebraska's Democratic Party and president of the Association of State Democratic Committees.

The proposal will be voted on at the DNC's August meeting. If approved, Hogg would have to step down from one of his roles. He has not yet announced which incumbents his group will target but has said their support won't be based strictly on age. He has publicly defended Representatives Jan Schakowsky and Nancy Pelosi, both over 80, as effective lawmakers who deserve reelection.

The timing of this standoff coincides with signs of generational turnover in the party. Rep. Jan Schakowsky has told colleagues she plans to retire, and Senator Dick Durbin is the latest of four senators who announced they won't pursue re-election either.