DNC candidate and gun control activist David Hogg claimed Tuesday he was attacked for telling Democrats that they needed to reach out more to young men before the election.
Hogg, who announced his candidacy for Democratic National Committee vice chairperson Monday, told MSNBC that he was primarily running out of frustration over Democrats ignoring and even blasting his insistence on reaching out to young men.
"The reason why I’m doing this is, frankly, because we need to build a party that tells people what it needs to hear and not what its consultants are paid just to say whatever people want to hear over and over again where we continue losing," Hogg said on "MSNBC Reports."
He continued, "Throughout the campaign, there were multiple times where I brought up publicly my concerns about young voters, and I was shut down by consultants and messaged by them saying, ‘You don’t know what you are talking about. This is not an issue. This is dumb of you to say,’ and a whole lot of other things that I can’t tell you on TV."
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Hogg remarked that he heard the same criticism even while working for the Harris campaign.
"At the DNC, I raised the concern about what are we going to do about young men, and I heard back from people an enormous amount of vitriol," Hogg said. "Why would I ask that question? Why would we focus on that? I think that one thing we need to change in the party is that empathy is not a zero-sum game. We can care about young men and care about young women."
He added, "We have to make sure that we’re building a party not just incorporates those that are critical but make sure that we listen to people who are bringing up things that we may not want to hear in the first place. My reason for doing this is if I’m not given a seat at the table, or if I’m not let in the room, I will break down the door."
Hogg acknowledged that he’s an "underdog" in the race for leadership in his party, but emphasized that he will not let up on criticizing Democrats if it will lead to change.
"I am not going to contort myself or try to change my opinions or my views in order to get other people’s votes. I’m here to make sure I’m promoting what I believe in, which is we need to build a party that is inclusive and representative of young people along with people of all ages," Hogg said.
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President-elect Donald Trump gained support among male voters under 30 by 14 points during the 2024 election with men overall backing Trump by 10 points.
Shortly after Trump’s victory, DNC chair Jaime Harrison announced he would be stepping down from his position, leading to a party upheaval with several candidates vying for leadership.
