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Yahoo
15 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
DNC elects vice chair to replace David Hogg as Democrat Party rift rages on
Shasti Conrad, Washington State Democratic Party Chair, was elected vice chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) on Friday, ending the months-long David Hogg controversy in which the 25-year-old progressive bowed out from party leadership. The second voting period for the DNC's "any gender" vice chair election ended Friday night as Conrad picked up the majority of votes cast by DNC members. Earlier in the week, candidates failed to secure a majority and Jeanna Repass was eliminated during the first round of voting. Hogg announced his exit from DNC leadership after members voted last week to uphold the Credentials Committee's resolution proposed by longtime Democratic Party activist, Kalyn Free, to host a re-election for two vice-chair positions, which Hogg and DNC vice chair Malcolm Kenyatta won during the Feb. 1 party elections. "I'm honored to serve as Vice Chair of the Democratic National Committee and am deeply grateful to the members who placed their trust in me," Conrad said in a statement. "This was the longest election in DNC history, and every vote cast reflected our shared belief in building a stronger, more inclusive Democratic Party." 'Distraction': The Democratic Party Is Ready To Leave Their David Hogg Drama In The Dust DNC Chair Ken Martin celebrated her win, describing Conrad as a "trailblazer who understands the importance of championing our communities and doing the hard work on the ground to help Democrats win up and down the ballot." Read On The Fox News App Dnc Chair Ripped David Hogg Over Party Infighting In Leaked Meeting Audio: 'Really Frustrating' Kenyatta told Fox News Digital after Hogg's exit that the re-election drama has prevented the DNC from being "singularly focused." "We've spent a lot of time talking about procedural nonsense within the DNC. I promise you nobody cares about that, and nobody wants to talk about it as little as I do. I want us to get refocused," Kenyatta said. Hogg agreed, writing in a lengthy X statement that he was stepping down from the DNC, "so the party can focus on what really matters." But Hogg ignited internal Democratic Party divisions this year through his $20 million plan to primary challenge vulnerable incumbent Democrats he said were "asleep at the wheel." The plan, through his outside political action group, Leaders We Deserve, exposed an apparent rift with Martin, who gave Hogg the ultimatum to either forego his political influence through his PAC or give up his DNC leadership position. And the young progressive's departure did little to stall headlines about the Democratic Party's disarray, as this week DNC officials criticized Martin's leadership and The New York Times reported officials had considered borrowing money to pay the bills this year. Earlier this week, The New York Times also first reported that two top union leaders had departed the DNC. Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, and Lee Saunders, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, declined offers to stay on as at-large members of the DNC. "I appear to be out of step with the leadership you are forging, and I do not want to be the one who keeps questioning why we are not enlarging our tent and actively trying to engage more and more of our communities," Weingarten, the education leader and longtime voice in Democratic politics, said in a letter Martin that is now circulating on social media. Hogg's decision to leave the DNC followed a damning Politico report, which included leaked audio from a Zoom meeting of Martin lamenting over Hogg's fallout at the DNC, claiming it had made it harder for Democrats to do their jobs and for Martin to demonstrate his ability to lead. "I don't think you intended this, but you essentially destroyed any chance I have to show the leadership that I need to. So, it's really frustrating," Martin said. The DNC on Friday touted raising nearly $40 million in its first four months under Martin, which the committee credited to "grassroots donors who are fired up to elect Democrats and defeat Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans' billionaire-first agenda." "Powered by our grassroots community, the DNC has just set a new record for most money raised in the first four months under a new Chair — ever. What matters is winning elections, making Democrats competitive everywhere, expanding our tent, and putting our party on the right path," Martin said, in part. Free submitted her complaint following the DNC's Feb. 1 officer elections, in which Hogg and Kenyatta were elected vice chairs. She claimed the DNC's tabulation method violated the charter's provision and parliamentary procedure and "discriminated against three women of color candidates." "This was never about Malcolm Kenyatta or David Hogg," Free told Fox News Digital after the Credentials Committee elevated her complaint before the full DNC. "For me, this was about ensuring that the Democratic Party lives up to our ideals as the only political party to believe in and stand up for election integrity and a free and fair democracy." The Democratic Party maintained that the vice-chair re-election had nothing to do with the primary controversy Hogg stirred up earlier this year, but Hogg slammed the vote as a "fast-track" effort to remove him from party leadership. Fox News' Paige Dukeman contributed to this report. Original article source: DNC elects vice chair to replace David Hogg as Democrat Party rift rages on
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Leader of WA Democrats wins leadership post with national party
Shasti Conrad, chair of the Washington state Democratic Party, won a leadership post with the Democratic National Committee on June 20, 2025. (Photo courtesy of Washington state Democratic Party) Washington state Democratic Party chair Shasti Conrad won a coveted leadership post with the Democratic National Committee on Friday. Conrad was elected DNC vice chair, giving her a voice in crafting the party's strategy for responding to the Trump administration and recapturing control of Congress in 2026. She beat Kalyn Free, a national committee member from Oklahoma, in a run-off after neither garnered a majority in a first round of balloting earlier this week. That initial round featured a third candidate, Jeanna Repass, chair of the Kansas Democratic Party. Conrad, 40, said in a statement that she was 'deeply grateful' for the result, which came after six days of voting. 'This was the longest election in DNC history, and every vote cast reflected our shared belief in building a stronger, more inclusive Democratic Party,' she said. The party is looking to bounce back after a disastrous 2024 cycle. Conrad has argued that Democrats don't need to drastically change their message or positions and instead must improve how they communicate with voters. She has also argued that the platform that has brought Democrats success in Washington, where the party controls all statewide elected offices and the Legislature, can be replicated to rack up victories elsewhere. 'We are not just strategizing to win elections. We are working to transform lives,' Conrad said before results came out. The DNC chose two vice chairs over the past two weeks in a do-over of Feb. 1 elections that were won by Malcolm Kenyatta and David Hogg. Those contests were invalidated after Free filed a complaint contending the party failed to follow its own rules on gender parity in officer elections. DNC members agreed to rerun elections for those seats. Only candidates who made it to the final round of voting in February and were eligible for each seat under party rules, could compete. Hogg, a 25-year-old gun-control activist, declined to run for his seat. He faced criticism from fellow Democrats because of his plans to fund challenges to Democratic incumbents with his group, Leaders We Deserve. Hogg's exit left Kenyatta, a Pennsylvania state representative, as the only eligible candidate in the election for the vice chair position that had to be filled by a male under the DNC rules. Kenyatta was elected Saturday. Conrad, 40, is in her second term as leader of Washington's Democratic Party and is the first South Asian woman to lead a state party. She had the backing of DNC Chair Ken Martin, who appointed her in March to be an associate chair for the national party. In this role, she said she's strived to spotlight issues of importance to Asian Americans and to work with influencers on ways to better engage younger voters. 'As a millennial, I'm committed to creating more opportunities for young people to get involved and become the leaders of today—not just tomorrow,' she said. She added that she'd ensure Asian American and Pacific Islanders 'have a seat at every table where decisions are made.'
Fox News
a day ago
- Politics
- Fox News
DNC elects vice chair to replace David Hogg as Democrat Party rift rages on
Shasti Conrad, Washington State Democratic Party Chair, was elected vice chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) on Friday, ending the months-long David Hogg controversy in which the 25-year-old progressive bowed out from party leadership. The second voting period for the DNC's "any gender" vice chair election ended Friday night as Free OR Conrad picked up the majority of votes cast by DNC members. Earlier in the week, candidates failed to secure a majority and Jeanna Repass was eliminated during the first round of voting. Hogg announced his exit from DNC leadership after members voted last week to uphold the Credentials Committee's resolution proposed by Kalyn Free to host a re-election for two vice-chair positions, which Hogg and DNC vice chair Malcolm Kenyatta won during the Feb. 1 party elections. Kenyatta told Fox News Digital after Hogg's exit that the re-election drama has prevented the DNC from being "singularly focused." "We've spent a lot of time talking about procedural nonsense within the DNC. I promise you nobody cares about that, and nobody wants to talk about it as little as I do. I want us to get refocused," Kenyatta said. Hogg agreed, writing in a lengthy X statement that he was stepping down from the DNC, "so the party can focus on what really matters." But Hogg ignited internal Democratic Party divisions this year through his $20 million plan to primary challenge vulnerable incumbent Democrats he said were "asleep at the wheel." The plan, through his outside political action group, Leaders We Deserve, exposed an apparent rift with DNC Chair Ken Martin, who gave Hogg the ultimatum to either forego his political influence through his PAC or give up his DNC leadership position. And the young progressive's departure did little to stall headlines about the Democratic Party's disarray, as this week DNC officials criticized Martin's leadership and The New York Times reported officials had considered borrowing money to pay the bills this year. Earlier this week, The New York Times also first reported that two top union leaders had departed the DNC. Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, and Lee Saunders, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, declined offers to stay on as at-large members of the DNC. "I appear to be out of step with the leadership you are forging, and I do not want to be the one who keeps questioning why we are not enlarging our tent and actively trying to engage more and more of our communities," Weingarten, the education leader and longtime voice in Democratic politics, said in a letter Martin that is now circulating on social media. Hogg's decision to leave the DNC followed a damning Politico report, which included leaked audio from a Zoom meeting of Martin lamenting over Hogg's fallout at the DNC, claiming it had made it harder for Democrats to do their jobs and for Martin to demonstrate his ability to lead. "I don't think you intended this, but you essentially destroyed any chance I have to show the leadership that I need to. So, it's really frustrating," Martin said. Free submitted her complaint following the DNC's Feb. 1 officer elections, in which Hogg and Kenyatta were elected vice chairs. She claimed the DNC's tabulation method violated the charter's provision and parliamentary procedure and "discriminated against three women of color candidates." "This was never about Malcolm Kenyatta or David Hogg," Free told Fox News Digital after the Credentials Committee elevated her complaint before the full DNC. "For me, this was about ensuring that the Democratic Party lives up to our ideals as the only political party to believe in and stand up for election integrity and a free and fair democracy." The Democratic Party maintained that the vice-chair re-election had nothing to do with the primary controversy Hogg stirred up earlier this year, but Hogg slammed the vote as a "fast-track" effort to remove him from party leadership.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Here are the 4 candidates running for DNC vice chair
Four candidates are vying for two vice chair spots on the Democratic National Committee (DNC) after a majority of members voted earlier this week to redo the election of David Hogg and Pennsylvania state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta. Oklahoma DNC committee member Kalyn Free, who lost a bid for vice chair, filed a challenge in February over the way the election was conducted, alleging it unfairly advantaged the male candidates running. DNC members voted 294-99 this week to redo its elections following Free's challenge; Hogg decided to forgo a run for his spot amid swirling controversy over his decision to get involved in Democratic primaries. The DNC is holding two separate votes for vice chair positions: one for a male ballot spot and another ballot in which any gender candidate can run. Kenyatta won the spot on the male ballot on Saturday. Three candidates are vying for a spot on the all-gender ballot this week. Here's what to know about the four candidates running for DNC vice chair: Kenyatta was elected as one of the DNC's vice chairs in February and is running for a second time following Free's challenge. He successfully won reelection on the male ballot spot on Saturday. Kenyatta was initially supposed to compete against Hogg under the male ballot slot, but Hogg withdrew. The Pennsylvania lawmaker was first elected to the Pennsylvania state House in 2018 and represents part of Philadelphia County. He ran in the Pennsylvania Senate Democratic primary in 2022, losing to Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.); more recently, he ran against Pennsylvania Auditor General Tim DeFoor (R), losing to him by single digits. Kenyatta's website touts his barrier-breaking record, including being the first openly LGBTQ candidate of color to be voted into the Pennsylvania Legislature. Kenyatta told The Hill he's traveled to nine states and Germany since being elected vice chair following the initial February election. He noted the DNC has been investing in local races like the Omaha, Neb., mayoral race and building out Democratic infrastructure in states across the country, including red states. 'No candidate when they get into the general election should have to build anything from scratch as it relates to their organizing, their voter outreach, and even some of the media infrastructure,' Kenyatta said. Shasti Conrad is running again to be a DNC vice chair after she lost a bid for one of the spots during the February election. Conrad was named a DNC associate chair by national committee Chair Ken Martin in March, and she also currently heads the Washington State Democratic Party. Her bio touts that she's worked with three Nobel Peace Prize winners; she's also a campaign alum of former President Obama and and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). Of particular importance to Conrad is focusing on Democratic caucuses and councils. 'I would really love to see, you know, more engagement, more connectivity with our caucuses and our councils, both at the national level' and among the state parties, she told The Hill. She noted that not all state parties have an Asian American and Pacific Islander caucus, adding she'd support seeing them 'officially organized and regularly meeting and doing the outreach work that we really need to do, you know, with our communities that don't always feel that they can trust the party.' Free is getting another shot at a DNC vice chair slot after successfully challenging the way the national party conducted its vice chair election in February. Free is a member of the Choctaw Nation and serves as a DNC committee member in Oklahoma. She's previously held elected office as a district attorney for the Haskell and Pittsburg counties in the late 1990s. She previously ran for Oklahoma's 2nd Congressional District but was unsuccessful. Free noted a lack of Indigenous representation within DNC leadership, telling The Hill that 'Indian country is critically important, obviously, to me, but it should be important to DNC leadership,' noting lawmakers and politicians have acknowledged that they wouldn't have won their races without the support of Indigenous voters. She also said she's worked on more than 300 campaigns and raised tens of millions of dollars. She said her commitment to the cause was evident in her husband's wedding vows, which she said she wrote. 'My husband vowed to never give aid, comfort, solace, or financial support to any Republican ever running for office. That's how serious I take my Democratic values and how serious I am about building this party.' Jeanna Repass also unsuccessfully sought a vice chair spot the first time around. She currently helms the Kansas Democratic Party and is a former secretary of state candidate in 2022. Repass is both the first Black and Latina woman to lead the Kansas state party, according to the Kansas Democratic Party. During her first run for vice chair, she noted her familiarity with engaging with voters in red states. 'My experience as the chair of the Kansas Democratic Party gives me a unique perspective for how our national party can not only make inroads with voters in red states but also win in these tough elections,' Repass said, according to The Community Voice. Prior to leading the state party, Repass worked in sales and marketing for several radio stations and was a director of urban mission outreach at the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection, according to The Topeka Capital-Journal. In an interview with State Affairs in March, she also noted a particular focus on rural communities in the state. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Fox News
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
David Hogg may lose DNC vice chair role after committee votes to hold new election
David Hogg, the 25-year-old progressive firebrand, could lose his leadership position after the Democratic National Committee (DNC) voted to redo its vice chair election. After three days of submitting electronic ballots, DNC members voted to uphold the Credentials Committee's resolution proposed by longtime Democratic Party activist Kalyn Free to host a re-election for two vice-chair positions, currently held by Hogg and Malcolm Kenyatta. Seventy-five percent of those who cast a ballot voted in favor of the resolution, while 25% voted against it. A total of 89% of DNC members cast a ballot. "The DNC will immediately move to administer new ballots for the final two Vice Chair positions, one of which must be held by a male and one of which may be held by a candidate of any gender," said the DNC's Deputy Press Secretary Nina Raneses. "The election for the male Vice Chair position will commence tomorrow morning at 10:00AM ET." The DNC's decision is the latest political blow to Hogg, who stirred up intraparty divisions this year for his $20 million pledge to primary-challenge older Democrats in safe blue districts he said are "asleep at the wheel" through his outside political action group, Leaders We Deserve. Hogg's DNC leadership hanging in the balance comes on the heels of a damning Politico report, which included leaked audio from a Zoom meeting of DNC Chair Ken Martin lamenting Hogg's fallout at the DNC. "I don't think you intended this, but you essentially destroyed any chance I have to show the leadership that I need to. So it's really frustrating," Martin told Hogg on the May 15 Zoom call. But the frustration didn't stop Hogg from endorsing Virginia state Del. Irene Shin in the special election to replace the late Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va. Martin affirmed the DNC would stay neutral in Democrat primaries following Hogg's multi-million-dollar announcement. And the DNC chair gave Hogg the ultimatum to either rescind his vice-chair position or forego his political influence through his PAC. While DNC officials, past and present, said the vote to host vice chair re-elections had nothing to do with Hogg personally, the progressive Gan Z activist framed the DNC's vote as an expedited plan to remove him as vice chair. Hogg said Martin's newly proposed "neutrality pledge" was "trying to change the rules because I'm not currently breaking them." "While this vote was based on how the DNC conducted its officers' elections, which I had nothing to do with, it is also impossible to ignore the broader context of my work to reform the party which loomed large over this vote," Hogg said after the Credentials Committee voted to elevate Free's complaint before the full committee. Free submitted her complaint following the DNC's Feb. 1 officer elections, in which Hogg and Kenyatta were elected vice chairs. Free claimed the DNC's tabulation method violated the charter's provision and parliamentary procedure and "discriminated against three women of color candidates." Last month, the Credentials Committee found the vice-chair officer elections violated parliamentary procedure and voted to recommend the DNC conduct a new election for the two vice-chair positions. Now that the full DNC has called for a new vote, they will conduct a re-election from June 12-17, in which Hogg and Kenyatta could lose their leadership positions. One vice-chair position may be filled by a male and one may be a candidate of any gender, according to the DNC. Only the candidates who were eligible for the third ballot during the Feb. 1 election qualify for the re-election, which includes Kenyatta, Hogg, Free, Jeanna Repass and Shasti Conrad. "This was never about Malcolm Kenyatta or David Hogg," Free told Fox News Digital after the Credentials Committee elevated her complaint. "For me, this was about ensuring that the Democratic Party lives up to our ideals as the only political party to believe in and stand up for election integrity and a free and fair democracy." But Kenyatta, who picked up the most votes during the Feb. 1 election, has criticized Hogg for playing "fast and loose with the facts without rebuttal." "Any story about this that neatly places this into a narrative about David Hogg is wrong," Kenyatta said of the re-election buzz. "I worked my a-- off to get this role and have done the job every day since I've held it. This story is complex, and I'm frustrated – but it's not about @davidhogg111. Even though he clearly wants it to be."
