WASHINGTON — Activist David Hogg’s political action committee (PAC) has struggled with its endorsements, getting off to a rocky start after its commitment to allocate up to $20 million towards supporting younger, progressive Democratic candidates. Instead, it appears to have spent millions on consultants, social media advertising, and even fitness classes.
Leaders We Deserve PAC invested a mere $455,000 into three candidates in competitive Democratic primaries—only one of which emerged victorious—while it doled out approximately $2.5 million on consultants, $1.1 million on its own digital marketing efforts, nearly $1 million for donor list generation, and close to $5,000 for a fitness subscription service, as detailed by federal campaign finance reports.
The PAC’s expenditure, initially reported by Axios, followed its successful support of Zohran Mamdani, providing him with $300,000 during the New York City Democratic mayoral primary in June.
Additionally, Leaders We Deserve contributed $150,000 to US House candidate Deja Foxx, a 25-year-old influencer referred to as “Arizona’s own AOC,” who ultimately lost her Democratic special election primary by 39 percentage points on July 15.
Another candidate, Irene Shin, accepted $5,000 from the PAC and suffered a 45-point loss in her special primary on June 28 to fill the seat of the late Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.).
Despite Hogg’s claim of $20 million in funding, the PAC’s total revenue reached only $15.3 million by the end of June, having launched in 2023.
By August, the PAC’s cash reserves had increased slightly from $925,904 to $1,616,892.
Hogg’s substantial expenditures have attracted criticism, including from former DNC colleagues like New York state Sen. James Skoufis, who posted on X commenting that at his current spending rate, Hogg would need to raise over $3 billion just to fulfill his $20 million commitment to primary candidates.
Kevin Lata, co-founder and executive director of Leaders We Deserve, remarked to Axios, “Our estimates suggest that for every dollar we invest in these candidates, we could see a return of $3 to $5 by the end of the election cycle.”
Start your day with all you need to know
Morning Report delivers the latest news, videos, photos, and more.
Thanks for signing up!
“This ensures that every donation stretches further than it typically would,” he noted.
In response to inquiries about the fitness subscription, Lata explained that ClassPass was offered as “a wellness benefit for our employees, similar to many companies across the nation.”
The Post also reached out to Lata for further comment.
During his controversial term as DNC vice chair, Hogg asserted he would challenge “disconnected, ineffective” incumbent Democrats in primaries, resulting in pushback from party leadership and ultimately leading to his removal in June.
DNC Chairman Ken Martin stated at that time, “We need to be impartial referees—it’s not feasible to function as both the referee and the player simultaneously.”
