David Hogg's political organization is taking heat from Democratic campaigns that say the group made financial commitments and then abandoned them after primary defeats, raising questions about whether the PAC's strategy is helping or hurting the candidates it endorses.
Leaders We Deserve, Hogg's super PAC designed to elect young progressive candidates in Democratic primaries, has become the subject of complaints from multiple campaigns that felt left in the lurch. The frustration centers on promises of substantial funding that evaporated when races tightened or polling softened.
The pattern emerged first with Virginia state delegate Irene Shin. According to reporting from last July, Leaders We Deserve backed away from a $400,000 spending commitment on her behalf during a U.S. House special election. Shin lost to Democrat James Walkinshaw.
Now a second campaign is telling essentially the same story. People close to Illinois state senator Robert Peters' race say the PAC initially promised major support after endorsing him in May, with sources claiming Leaders We Deserve mentioned spending $1 million on his campaign. By October, the group had pulled back entirely.
Peters finished a distant third in the primary to replace retiring Rep. Robin Kelly. The race was won by Cook County Commissioner Donna Miller, who took over 40 percent of the vote.
The PAC's Defense
Leaders We Deserve argues its approach is pragmatic, not duplicitous. The group contends it would waste donor money betting on candidates destined to lose badly no matter the investment level.
Spokesperson Matilda Bress said the organization was proud to back Peters and helped fund polling that showed he had no viable path to victory. His 28-point loss, Bress argued, vindicated the decision to redirect resources.
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