David Hogg, a survivor of the 2018 shooting at his high school in Parkland, Florida, who turned into a national anti-violence activist, has launched a bid to serve in leadership of the Democratic National Committee.
Hogg, 24, announced on Monday he is running to become a vice chair of the DNC, arguing he would focus on winning back young voters who have drifted from the Democratic Party to Republicans.
That shift came profoundly, and abruptly, in November, when young voters who predominantly favored President Joe Biden just four years earlier backed Donald Trump in larger numbers than any Republican presidential candidate since 2008, according to NBC News exit polling.
“Moving forward, we must have a renewed focus on our youth outreach in all states and territories to rebuild our coalition after the massive shift to the right among young voters this election,” Hogg said in a statement. “We need a collaborative environment where we don’t just surround ourselves with people who agree with us. We must confront the mass exodus of people from Blue states to Red States, driven by our party’s failure to address the housing crisis at scale — which if left unaddressed, will spell disaster for us by 2030.”
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Hogg gained national notoriety after the mass shooting Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, where 17 people died. He and classmates stepped forward, hosting marches demanding strengthened gun laws.
In the wake of the shooting, Hogg and classmates founded the gun safety group March For Our Lives, which now boasts of having helped pass more than 250 gun safety laws.
Hogg went on to found Leaders We Deserve, a group that focuses on electing young people to local and national public office.
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Hogg's announcement is the latest in recent activity around new DNC leadership, since current DNC Chair Jaime Harrison announced he was stepping down. The party itself is reeling after losing the White House to Trump despite outspending him and boasting of superior organizational strength in the weeks leading up to the election.
Candidates for DNC chair are to hold forums in January before the committee's membership votes on Feb. 1. So far, announced DNC chair candidates include Minnesota party chair and DNC vice chair Ken Martin, Wisconsin party Chair Ben Wikler, former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley and New York state Sen. James Skoufis.
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