David Hogg Launches Leaders We Deserve to Support Young Political Candidates
David Hogg, a prominent gun control activist, is launching a political action committee called Leaders We Deserve to back young candidates running for federal and state office. The group will primarily focus on state-level races and select congressional matchups in the upcoming 2024 primary season. Hogg aims to fill the gap in supporting young people at the state legislative level and provide them with the resources and guidance needed to run for office.
As one of the co-founders of the March For Our Lives movement, Hogg has remained dedicated to curbing gun violence since surviving a mass shooting at his high school in Parkland, Florida over five years ago. Some members of his activist cohort have already entered politics, including first-term Representative Maxwell Frost, who joined Congress after organizing for March For Our Lives. Frost serves on the advisory board for Leaders We Deserve, while his former campaign manager, Kevin Lata, serves as the group’s executive director. Hogg draws inspiration from Frost’s successful transition from advocate to politician.
The launch of Leaders We Deserve comes at a time when millennials and Gen Z are becoming increasingly influential in the political landscape. Hogg believes that his generation should not only vote but also run for office to enact meaningful change. The group seeks to endorse candidates who align with their generation’s ideologies, particularly those who prioritize issues such as gun control, protecting the environment, and challenging special interests.
While the focus of Leaders We Deserve is currently on open Democratic-held seats, Hogg acknowledges the importance of being an additive force and helping candidates win. The group aims to make a significant impact by investing in young candidates in open blue seat primaries, where a small investment can bring about substantial change and showcase a new generation of leaders.
Hogg believes that if young people continue to face threats to their safety in school without significant action to address the issue, they may lose faith in democracy. Leaders We Deserve aims to combat this by empowering young people to engage in politics and work towards fixing a broken system. The project seeks to inspire young people to believe that they can make a difference both from the outside through activism and from the inside through political involvement.