Kalyn Free Lodges Complaint
In a dramatic twist that could reshape Democratic Party leadership, the Democratic National Committee is facing calls to invalidate the vice chair election that saw gun control activist David Hogg triumph over longtime party figure Kalyn Free — and the stakes couldn’t be higher.
The DNC is scheduled to meet virtually on May 12 to review a formal challenge lodged by Kalyn Free, a Native American attorney and seasoned DNC member who contends that the vice chair election was fatally flawed and discriminatory against women of color. Free, who lost to Hogg in February, is now demanding the results be thrown out and new elections held, citing violations of the DNC’s own charter and principles of fairness and diversity.
According to reporting from Semafor, Free’s complaint points to systemic bias, claiming the outcome not only sidelined qualified candidates of color but also ignored the DNC’s commitment to gender equity. If her challenge is upheld, it could mark a rare and serious rebuke of internal party election procedures — and potentially strip Hogg of his new role.
But the controversy doesn’t stop with the election itself.
David Hogg, best known as a survivor of the Parkland school shooting and a fierce advocate for gun control, has stirred internal opposition with his public vow to raise and deploy $20 million through his organization, Leaders We Deserve, to primary incumbent Democrats he views as ineffective or outdated. This has triggered alarm bells throughout party leadership.
Scoop: DNC could vote to oust David Hogg. Will hear a challenge next month by a Native American DNC member who lost the vice chair race, and wants a new election, citing “fairness and gender diversity” rules. https://t.co/yKKbBUtkfr
— David Weigel (@daveweigel) April 29, 2025
Ken Martin, DNC Chair, issued a pointed warning, suggesting that if Hogg intends to campaign against sitting Democrats, he should step away from the DNC entirely. The conflict exposes a growing generational and ideological rift within the party — between insurgent progressive energy and institutional loyalty.
And then there’s James Carville, the seasoned strategist who didn’t mince words. He labeled Hogg a “contemptible little twerp” and floated the idea that the DNC should consider legal action if Hogg continues, in Carville’s words, “attacking the party from within.”
“If you work for NewsNation, you can’t promote CNN,” Carville analogized. “You have a fiduciary duty to your employer.” The implication is clear: Hogg’s role in the DNC is incompatible with his ambitions to upend the party’s structure.