David Hogg: Democratic campaign arm picking 'terrible candidates'

Former DNC Vice Chair David Hogg recently slammed the House Democrats’ campaign arm for picking “terrible candidates” months ahead of midterm elections in November. 

“Imagine if there was a non-evil version of the [Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC)] that existed,” Hogg said during the College Democrats of America convention in Washington, D.C. over the weekend. 

“No offense. Like, we need their funding in general elections, but man, they really know how to pick terrible candidates sometimes. But it’s fine. They usually lose,” he added. 

His comments follow DCCC Chair Rep. Suzan DelBene’s (D-Wash.) assertion that Democrats would take the House in a few months.

“Despite their attempts to gerrymander, starting in Texas, we still have opportunities to pick up seats,” DelBene said of Republican redistricting efforts while in conversation with The Hill’s Amie Parnes at the Hill Nation Summit.

She said newcomers Bobby Pulido and Johnny Garcia — have “opportunities to flip districts in the Lone Star State — and said incumbent Democratic Reps. Vicente Gonzalez (Texas) and Henry Cuellar (Texas) are in “strong positions” for re-election. 

“All this, all of the things they did to try to continue to change districts, et cetera, it backfires because they’re not focused on the issues that matter,” DelBene said of her strategy to beat Republicans on the issue of affordability. 

“They’re not listening to their communities, and people know that they want folks who are going to stand up for them,” she added.  

However, her enthusiasm for midterm elections has been met with cold water from progressives who say the DCCC is too quick to pick sides in party primaries.

Hogg’s comments over the weekend follow his decision to step down as DNC vice chair in June of 2025 following intense backlash over his Leader’s We Deserve super PAC’s plans to fund primary challenges against incumbent Democratic lawmakers in the House. 

The controversy prompted the DNC to hold a revote on his position, leading Hogg to forgo running again as he said he would focus on his advocacy group. 

While the DNC cited procedural issues and parliamentary violations from the original election as the reason for the revote, the move was widely viewed as a referendum on Hogg’s confrontational approach to party reform. 

Hogg noted there was a “clear fundamental disagreement” between himself and senior party members regarding the role of a DNC vice chair.

In May, Reps. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), Greg Casar (D-Texas), Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.), Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.), Chuy Garcia (D-Ill.), Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) and Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) shared a statement raising concerns with the DCCC’s actions in a California House primary. 

The lawmakers took issue with the campaign arm endorsing California Assemblymember Jasmeet Bains over another Democratic candidate and adding her to its “Red to Blue” program, which ensures organizational and fundraising support.

“We disagree with the DCCC’s decision to attempt to tip the scales in this race. Voters, not the DCCC, should pick Democratic nominees,” CPC PAC co-chairs and board members wrote in a statement previously shared with The Hill. 

“The Congressional Progressive Caucus PAC and our members have consistently advocated for DCCC neutrality in competitive House primaries, and the DCCC should have observed that policy in this race,” they added in a rare rebuke to the party’s campaign arm.

At the time, the DCCC defended its actions, noting Bains’ status as an elected official in the district and her proven ability to win.

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