The Democratic National Committee’s credentials panel made a decision on Monday to nullify activist David Hogg’s election as vice chair of the party.
Hogg, a survivor of the tragic 2018 mass shooting at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., was elected as vice chair in February. However, he faced criticism from some Democrats for his plan to spend $20 million on efforts to unseat long-serving Democratic House lawmakers in primaries.
Following the vote, Hogg stated, “[It’s] impossible to ignore the broader context of my work to reform the party which loomed large over this vote.” He also added, “The DNC has pledged to remove me, and this vote has provided an avenue to fast-track that effort.”
The committee found procedural violations in the February election and also voted to remove Pennsylvania state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta as DNC vice chair.
However, Hogg and Kenyatta will continue in their roles until the full DNC votes on their removal later this year.
Christine Pelosi, a member of the credentials committee and daughter of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), emphasized that the decision to void Hogg’s election as vice chair was based on a violation of parliamentary procedure and not motivated by politics.
After the panel rejected Pelosi’s proposal to maintain the elections and implement changes for future procedures, they voted on a resolution recommending the DNC to complete the Vice Chair election and conduct new ballots for the final two Vice Chair positions.
Pelosi expressed that Hogg would be eligible to participate in the election redo and encouraged him to do so, stating, “I hope both of these talented individuals put their names on the ballot again. We’ll move quickly to resolve this. I have full confidence in our DNC members to review this issue and vote based on their conscience.”
