David Hogg, the Parkland shooting survivor turned activist, recently announced a $20 million initiative through his PAC, Leaders We Deserve, to help young, progressive Democrats mount primary challenges against older, entrenched incumbents in safe blue districts. The goal, according to Hogg, is to rejuvenate the Democratic Party by replacing what he sees as a stagnant leadership class with candidates who better reflect the energy and priorities of younger voters.
Veteran Democratic strategist James Carville didn’t hold back. He called Hogg’s plan “abominable,” a “waste of resources,” and “jackassery of the highest order.” Carville’s stated objection is simple: Democrats should be focused on beating Republicans, not infighting. To him, primarying sitting Democrats—particularly in districts that are not competitive—risks diverting attention and money from more urgent general election battles.
But Carville’s fierce reaction hints at deeper concerns, even if he hasn’t spelled them out. Given his long-running critiques of the Democratic Party’s shift toward what he calls “woke” politics, it’s reasonable to infer that his discomfort with Hogg’s plan stems not just from tactical worries, but from ideological ones.
Carville has spent the past several years warning that the Democratic Party is alienating working-class and moderate voters with language and cultural priorities that feel out of touch. He’s criticized Democrats for using terms like “Latinx” and “equity” and has argued that messaging focused on social justice theory, rather than concrete economic issues, is electoral poison. In one 2021 interview, he said Democrats “need to stop speaking like a faculty lounge.”
So while Carville hasn’t said that Hogg’s candidates are too progressive or “too woke,” it’s a logical extension of his worldview. Hogg’s project is explicitly about ushering in a new generation—one that prioritizes issues like climate justice, police reform, and structural change. Those are precisely the kinds of issues Carville believes have a limited appeal outside liberal strongholds.
Carville may have chosen to frame his criticism in strategic terms, but for a man who believes the Democrats are in danger of cultural overreach, Hogg’s plan likely represents more than just misallocated money—it’s a political disaster wrapped in progressive idealism
