David Hogg, a 24-year-old gun control activist, is now a Democratic National Committee (DNC) Vice Chair. He’s the first Gen Z leader in this role. And he has the digital footprint to prove it.
"Are you ready to go on the offense? We have to win back our young people," Hogg said at the DNC’s Winter Meeting. "I'm the only candidate in this race for any of these positions that is under 30. We had a 20-point shift to the right of our young people. We must show our young people we give a damn about them, that we support them, and we invest in them."
But as he steps into his new role, he might find himself on defense.
"I have raised over $11 million in the past year to support the future of our party because I don't just tweet," Hogg said. "I don't just talk the talk. I also walk the walk, and I knock the knock on doors around this country."
Now, old posts are resurfacing. Conservatives are blasting his past statements and policy ideas.
In 2022, he pushed for extreme left-wing policies. "How radical you ask? I don’t think anybody should have over $1 billion in assets there should be a 100% tax after your first billion," he posted. He also called for universal healthcare, free college, and legalizing all drugs.
That same year, he made his stance on children clear. "Like me? I’m never planning on having kids. I would much rather own a Porsche and have a Portuguese water dog and golden doodle," he posted. "Long term it’s cheaper, better for the environment and will never tell you that it hates you or ask you to pay for college."
Hogg even admitted his involvement in politics could be damaging. "Any politician doing anything with me is in effect committing political suicide," he said in 2022.
Now, conservatives on X are calling out the irony. They say his past views make him a strange pick for DNC leadership.
Many point to his progressive stance on masculinity as a problem. Young male voters, they argue, aren’t on board.
In 2021, he took aim at law enforcement. "Abolish ICE," he posted. "Defund the police not USPS."
His critics are also bringing up a 2022 post about representation. "We have enough straight white men in power," Hogg wrote. "It’d be nice to see some people who actually look like our country and not privilege."
Conservatives aren’t holding back. Some are mocking his nomination, claiming he’ll "help Republicans win for years to come."
Hogg first made national headlines in 2018. He co-founded March for Our Lives, a student-led gun control movement started after the Parkland school shooting.
Since then, he’s been a loud voice for young Democrats. After graduating from Harvard in 2023, he co-founded Leaders We Deserve, a group backing young progressive candidates.