Carville Tells David Hogg to Quit After Targeting Dems to Primary [WATCH]

Veteran Democratic strategist James Carville on Wednesday publicly criticized Democratic National Committee (DNC) Vice Chair David Hogg for backing primary challenges against sitting Democratic members of Congress.

The remarks were made during Carville’s “Politics War Room” podcast, where he expressed sharp disapproval of Hogg’s involvement in efforts to unseat incumbent House Democrats through a political group he co-founded.

The group, Leaders We Deserve, was launched by Hogg in 2023 with the goal of electing younger Democratic lawmakers.

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On Tuesday, the organization announced plans to spend $20 million during the 2026 election cycle to help elect new Democratic candidates, including in races against current incumbents.

The initiative was first reported by The New York Times.

Carville questioned the appropriateness of Hogg’s dual roles as a senior DNC official and the leader of an effort to challenge Democrats from within.

“Wait a minute, let’s get this straight. He is the vice chairman of the Democratic National Committee and he is talking about raising $20 million to primary other Democrats,” Carville said.

“Well, when I look at the DNC, ideally it should be an organization that’s trying to beat Republicans, not other Democrats.”

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Carville also raised concerns about the use of donor funds, implying a conflict of interest in Hogg’s leadership at the DNC.

“When you’re talking about using the power of the DNC, whatever power it has — it’s not very much — but you’re using that, and we’re paying — Democratic donors are paying — David Hogg’s salary. They’re paying David Hogg’s staff.”

He continued, “And he wants to run against other Democrats. Well, that’s America. Run against who the fuck you want to. But don’t — resign your position. Have guts, man. Have guts. Stand your ground.”

Carville added that he does not believe far-left progressives align with the broader Democratic coalition and repeated an earlier suggestion that those on the party’s far-left fringe should consider separating from the party.

“I don’t think that’s part of the Democratic coalition. I don’t think they’re redeemable. I don’t think they want to be redeemed,” he said.

“Perhaps Hogg is an example of someone who should leave the party.”

While Leaders We Deserve has not disclosed which specific incumbents it plans to challenge, a spokesperson told The Washington Post that the group’s focus will be on districts considered safely Democratic.

The group said it would not challenge Democrats facing competitive races against Republican challengers.

“Everyone in our party says they want to start winning again, and they do—but that simply will not be possible with our current set of leaders, too many of which are asleep at the wheel, out-of-touch, and ineffective,” Hogg wrote Tuesday on X.

Everyone in our party says they want to start winning again, and they do—but that simply will not be possible with our current set of leaders, too many of which are asleep at the wheel, out-of-touch, and ineffective. As a result there are likely going to be stories in the next…

— David Hogg 🟧 (@davidhogg111) April 16, 2025

Hogg first rose to national prominence as a co-founder of March for Our Lives, a gun control advocacy group created after the 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, where he was a student.

In February 2024, Hogg was elected DNC vice chair, becoming the youngest person to ever hold the position at 25 years old.

Leaders We Deserve describes itself as “a grassroots organization dedicated to electing young progressives to Congress and State Legislatures across the country to help defeat the far-right agenda and advance a progressive vision for the future.”

As internal debates over strategy and party leadership continue, Carville’s comments reflect ongoing tensions between the Democratic establishment and the party’s progressive wing.

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