The Democratic National Committee (DNC) just made a telling move in its latest leadership selection, electing anti-gun activist David Hogg as one of its new vice chairs. In a party still reeling from major electoral defeats in 2024, including key losses in the House and Senate, the DNC appears to be doubling down on a failed strategy—one that hinges on radical gun control as a core issue.
Hogg, a survivor of the 2018 Parkland shooting and co-founder of the anti-gun organization March For Our Lives, has spent years pushing for draconian firearm restrictions while attacking law-abiding gun owners. He played a key role in mobilizing activists behind extreme measures such as “assault weapons” bans, magazine capacity restrictions, and red flag gun confiscation laws. Despite these efforts, his brand of activism has largely backfired, with gun control losing its footing in national politics.
The most telling sign of this failure was the Republican landslide in 2024, where voters across the country rejected anti-gun candidates at every level. Pro-gun majorities were secured in both chambers of Congress, and even traditionally blue states saw shifts toward Second Amendment-supporting candidates. The Democratic push for gun control—including Joe Biden’s executive orders and John Cornyn’s Bipartisan Safer Communities Act—proved to be wildly unpopular among American voters, many of whom prioritized self-defense amid rising crime.
Yet, instead of recalibrating, the DNC has chosen to put one of the loudest gun control activists in a key leadership position. Hogg wasted no time announcing his new role, posting on X, “I’m deeply grateful to the members for their trust and belief in me… Now it’s time to get to work.”
Florida Democrat Party Chair Nikki Fried praised Hogg, calling him “remarkable” and celebrating his rise from a high school activist to national Democratic leadership. But the reality is, his appointment signals that Democrats are sticking to a gun control agenda that has already cost them dearly at the ballot box.
Since 2018, Hogg’s group, March For Our Lives, has pushed radical gun control legislation while supporting lawsuits aimed at dismantling the Second Amendment. Despite touting the passage of more than 250 gun laws at the state level, the group has seen little success in enacting its agenda on a national scale. Meanwhile, constitutional carry laws have spread across the country, with nearly 30 states now allowing law-abiding Americans to carry firearms without a government permission slip.
Hogg has long made his contempt for gun owners clear, once mocking Second Amendment advocates by saying they have “tiny” male anatomy and accusing them of caring more about guns than children. His open hostility toward firearm rights has made him a favorite of far-left gun control activists, but a liability in winning over the broader American electorate.
By elevating Hogg, the DNC is not only alienating millions of gun-owning Americans, but also reinforcing a losing message. With gun control being soundly rejected in election after election, this latest move makes it clear that the Democratic Party isn’t interested in course-correcting. Instead, they’re placing their bets on an activist whose main political contribution has been helping Republicans win elections.
