David Hogg announced he will not seek reelection as vice chair of the Democratic National Committee, stepping aside just as the DNC moves to redo the February vote that initially put him in the role. His decision came hours after the party announced a new election would be held following a procedural challenge tied to how the vice chair vote was conducted.

Shortly after the DNC’s announcement, Hogg confirmed he wouldn’t run again. The move came amid growing tension with DNC leadership, especially Chairman Ken Martin, over Hogg’s public support for primary challengers to Democratic incumbents — a dispute that had been simmering for months and overshadowed much of his tenure.

In a lengthy statement, Hogg called out what he sees as the party’s failure to embrace generational change and a larger vision. Still, he took a more restrained tone when addressing his departure from the vice chair post itself. “I came into this role to play a positive role in creating the change our party needs. It is clear that there is a fundamental disagreement about the role of a Vice Chair — and it’s okay to have disagreements. What isn’t okay is allowing this to remain our focus when there is so much more we need to be focused on,” he said.

Hogg explained that his decision was driven by a desire to continue his work with his group, Leaders We Deserve. “Ultimately, I have decided to not run in this upcoming election so the party can focus on what really matters. I need to do this work with Leaders We Deserve, and it is going to remain my number one mission to build the strongest party possible.”

Martin acknowledged Hogg’s departure in a brief statement, thanking him for his efforts and recognizing his contributions. “I appreciate his service as an officer, his hard work, and his dedication to the party,” Martin said. “I commend David for his years of activism, organizing, and fighting for his generation, and while I continue to believe he is a powerful voice for this party, I respect his decision to step back from his post as Vice Chair.”

Earlier that day, the DNC had voted to accept a Credentials Committee recommendation that the party redo the vice chair elections. The original vote improperly advantaged Hogg and fellow candidate Malcolm Kenyatta by combining ballots for two distinct slots into a single vote. According to the DNC, 75% of participating members voted in favor of holding a new election, with an 89% participation rate.

Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta.

The rule violation stemmed from the requirement that the party’s executive committee include gender parity, excluding the chair. Instead of voting separately for one male and one open-gender vice chair slot, the party opted for a single vote to fill both, a decision which Oklahoma Democratic Committeewoman Kalyn Free challenged. Free, who lost to Hogg and Kenyatta in the earlier election, argued that combining the ballots gave the male candidates an unfair edge.

Although Free filed her petition prior to Hogg’s dispute with Martin, Hogg publicly framed the re-vote as retaliation for his stance on primaries. Martin pushed back, attributing the issue to a “procedural error” made before his chairmanship. Kenyatta also criticized Hogg for making the controversy about himself, stating it distracted from party priorities.

After the new election was scheduled, Kenyatta expressed hope that the matter could soon be resolved and that the party could shift focus back to its core mission. “Now we can almost bring this chapter to a close,” he said. “We need a strong Democratic Party and I hope we come out of this stronger and focused on the work ahead.”

With Hogg stepping aside, Kenyatta is expected to retain his seat, and the DNC will now fill Hogg’s vacancy by selecting one of the other three candidates from the February ballot.

Hogg’s friction with the party had been escalating since he signaled his intent to support primary challengers through Leaders We Deserve. Known for his activism following the 2018 Parkland shooting, Hogg argued Wednesday night that his energy was better spent pushing the party toward a broader, future-oriented vision. “After seeing a serious lack of vision from Democratic leaders, too many of them asleep at the wheel, and Democrats dying in office that have helped to hand Republicans an expanded majority, it became clear that Leaders We Deserve had to start primarying incumbents and directly challenging the culture of seniority politics,” he said.

In the lead-up to the vote, Politico published leaked audio from a party call, where Martin lamented that the conflict with Hogg was “destroying any chance I have to show the leadership that I need to.” The leak sparked accusations from party members and DNC figures that Hogg or his team orchestrated the release, an allegation Hogg strongly denied. He posted screenshots of texts with the reporter to support his denial.

Even if he had chosen to run and regained his seat, Martin indicated that a neutrality pledge could have been introduced that would force Hogg to pick between his party role and his activist organization — a choice he never ended up needing to make.