David Hogg Envisions A Democratic Party Where Representatives Serve Constituents
Hogg was in Chicago this past weekend campaigning for Illinois 13th District State Representative candidate, Demi Palecek
David Hogg became a national figure eight years ago in the wake of the tragic Parkland school shooting. In the time since, he has become a voice for change in America’s broken political system, in hopes of preventing tragedies like Parkland from happening again.
Beyond the pervasive and dangerous gun culture in America, Hogg has become an outspoken advocate for many other Democratic issues, including healthcare reform. His platform has risen to such prominence that he briefly served as a vice-chair of the Democratic National Committee in 2025.
Hogg currently serves as the CEO of his own progressive organizing organization, Leaders We Deserve, which backs candidates he believes can bring real change to America’s political system and challenge Democrats he feels are asleep at the wheel.
During a campaign breakfast appearance for Demi Palecek, who is running for Illinois 13th District State Representative, Hogg addressed what he feels it means to be a Democrat.
“Imagine if we had more Democrats like that around the country who didn’t just show up and say, ‘Go and knock doors for me every two years, or every four years, or every six years,’ but said, ‘Every single month, I’m going to go to you and I’m going to say, what can I do for you? How can I serve you?’
“Because that is what the Democratic Party is,” Hogg asserted. “We are the party that fights to make government actually work. And guess what? That job is harder, because we don’t run on the idea that government sucks and then get elected, make it suck, and then get reelected on the thing that we made suck, sucks.
“That is a harder job. But guess what? The reason why we do it is because of families like mine. When my father was diagnosed with early-onset Parkinson’s Disease, the only reason why my family didn’t go bankrupt is because the courage that Democrats had to pass the Affordable Care Act and ensure that he was not kicked off of his insurance.
“That’s why we exist as a party. The reason we exist as a party is to ensure that we have programs like Social Security and Medicare and Medicaid, and in the richest country in the world, that nobody goes bankrupt because they can’t afford their hospital bills, because that’s a bunch of bullshit, right?
“But that’s going to be hard to build. But guess what? The only way we’re going to get there is if we elect more Democrats like Demi that actually believe in something rather than just, ‘Whatever gets me elected.’”
Palecek will be Guerrilla Press’ guest this Sunday night at The Annoyance Theatre. Her appearance is part of a series of interviews Guerrilla Press is doing with Run For Something-endorsed candidates. Tickets to the recording are available at www.TheAnnoyance.com.
You can learn more information about Demi Palecek’s campaign to become Illinois 13th District State Representative by visiting www.DemiForIllinois.com.
Hogg’s full address to Palecek’s campaign team and other Chicago-area leaders will be released on the Guerrilla Press YouTube channel, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts later this week.