Remember David Hogg's PAC? Well, Its Managed to Infuriate a Lot of Dems

Matt Vespa | April 07, 2026 6:30 AM

Talk about a bait and switch: David Hogg’s PAC, which supports progressive candidates, is facing criticism for backing out of commitments. This organization promised financial support for many campaigns but ended up leaving them high and dry, and many people are unhappy about it.

No doubt, Leaders We Deserve, the group's name, has some successes, but there have also been very public splits. For some races, the PAC’s spokesperson pretty much admitted they quit after learning there was no path to victory. Folks, this is what you do before you endorse (via Axios):

Multiple campaigns backed by Hogg's PAC fumed after primary losses that the group dangled hopes of financial commitments that never materialized.
First it was Irene Shin: The Washington Post reported last July that Leaders We Deserve backed off a commitment to spend $400,000 on the 38-year-old Virginia state delegate's behalf in a U.S. House special election that was won by now-Rep. James Walkinshaw (D-Va.).
Now sources close to the campaign of Robert Peters, a 40-year-old Illinois state senator who finished a distant third in the primary to succeed Rep. Robin Kelly (D-Ill.), are telling a similar story.
Leaders We Deserve is defending their strategy, arguing that it would be foolish to spend money on candidates they believe will lose by a landslide no matter how much they invest.
What we're hearing: The sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to avoid professional retaliation, told Axios the group initially expressed enthusiasm after endorsing Peters in May and said he would be a top priority.
Leaders We Deserve, the sources said, promised the Peters campaign a "sizable investment" and told an ally of the campaign they would spend $1 million on his behalf and make a public announcement to that effect.
In October, the campaign was told that Leaders We Deserve would not be investing in the race, according to the sources and Leaders We Deserve.
The sources close to the Peters campaign also said Leaders We Deserve encouraged them to take steps to moderate their image, including writing a position paper for AIPAC and not taking an endorsement from Justice Democrats.
The other side: "Leaders We Deserve was proud to endorse Robert Peters, worked closely with his campaign, helped pay for two polls, and found that there was absolutely no path to victory for him in IL-02," said Leaders We Deserve spokesperson Matilda Bress.