Having survived the Parkland school shooting in 2018, David Hogg posited that there was an intimate connection between far-right politics and real-world violence. Since then, he has appeared on TV, gone on speaking tours, and written books to shine a light on the root causes of gun violence in the United States. He even co-founded the wildly influential March for Our Lives, which gathered hundreds of thousands of protesters in Washington, D.C. to hold politicians accountable for their tacit acceptance of the status quo.
Changing that status quo, Hogg reasoned, would require a new generation of politicians. Earlier this year, he cofounded Leaders We Deserve, which aims to help Millennial and Gen-Z candidates get elected. Through this new organization, Hogg aims to “identify and elect more trailblazers—youthful, audacious, and charismatic leaders,” providing them with much-needed funding and logistical support. The organization will soon endorse its first round of candidates. If the campaign is successful, Millennial and Gen-Z constituents could soon see politicians who look, act, and vote just like them. Leaders We Deserve could also help get two underserved generations interested in American politics, as they’ll finally feel like they have a voice in the process.
