Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chair Ken Martin on Thursday rebuffed DNC Vice Chair David Hogg’s plans to primary incumbent House Democrats in the 2026 midterm elections.
Martin told reporters that Democratic party officers “can’t be both the referee and also the player at the same time,” Politico reported. He also said he is drafting proposed bylaw changes to require officers to stay neutral in all Democratic primaries, according to the outlet.
Martin’s comments come after Leaders We Deserve, a political organization co-founded by Hogg, pledged on April 15 to spend $20 million in an effort to help elect younger Democratic leaders, including primary challengers to incumbent House Democrats, in the midterms.
Hogg pushed back on Martin’s comments in an X post on Thursday, claiming that he was “not currently breaking” any DNC rules.
“They’re trying to change the rules because I’m not currently breaking them,” Hogg wrote in the social media post. “As we’re seeing law firms, tech companies, and so many others bowing to [President Donald] Trump, we all must use whatever position of power we have to fight back. And that’s exactly what I’m doing.”
Hogg stated in a separate X post that Americans “trust Donald Trump more on the economy than Democrats,” adding that too many Democratic Party leaders are “asleep at the wheel.”
Hogg’s plans to primary certain incumbent Congressional Democrats has sparked massive backlash from leaders in his own party. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Sunday rebuked Hogg’s efforts to unseat some incumbent Democrats, telling Jonathan Karl on ABC News’ “This Week” that he will stand behind “every single Democratic incumbent” in the 2026 midterm elections.
The Democratic Party notably is facing a variety of struggles following the Republican Party’s victories in the 2024 election cycle, including declining approval ratings among voters. A Harvard Youth Poll released Wednesday found thatthe number of young Americans who approve of Congressional Democrats was just 23%, down from 42% in 2017.
A DNC spokesperson referred the Daily Caller News Foundation to an op-ed from Martin published by Time when reached for comment. A Leaders We Deserve spokesperson referred the DCNF to Hogg’s full thread posted to X on Thursday when reached for comment.
Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to reflect responses from spokespeople for the DNC and Leaders We Deserve.
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