The PAC started by gun activist David Hogg, whose stated mission is "electing young progressives," instead burned through $1.4 million — representing nearly half the money raised — on travel, political consultants, and legal fees in 2023.
In fact, the Leaders We Deserve PAC spent less than $235,000 toward its mission of electing Gen Z candidates to office, according to a Breitbart report that scrutinized the organization's FEC filings.
Hogg and his partner, Kevin Lata, raised more than $3 million in the first year of the PAC's existence from a wide array of donors with a goal of electing more "youthful, audacious, and charismatic trailblazers."
"We pledge to stand with them, equipping their campaigns with the tools to succeed: from fundraising and messaging to scheduling and budgeting," read the mission from the Leaders We Deserve website.
However, according to Breitbart, disbursements went out to just four candidates, including one, Rep. Maxwell Frost, for whom Lata was campaign manager.
Further, Hogg and Lata disbursed nearly $125,000 to a transgender Democrat in Alabama whose opponent in October 2023 won the special election with 65% of the vote, Breitbart reported.
Meanwhile, Hogg paid himself $40,000 while Lata's take was $50,000 for a few months' work in 2023; the PAC launched late summer, according to the report.
Hogg's profile rose after the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, which left 17 people dead and 17 wounded on Feb. 14, 2018. At the time, Hogg was a student at the school and, as a survivor, he helped lead several high-profile gun violence protests across the U.S. He also helped launch the March for Our Lives movement.
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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