The Liberty Daily 
(Patriot TV)—Federal campaign records show that Leaders We Deserve, the political action committee founded by gun control activist and former Democratic National Committee vice chair David Hogg, has allocated far more money to operational expenses than to the young progressive candidates it aims to support. The group announced plans to invest $20 million in challenging established Democrats in safe districts, focusing on electing a new generation of leaders. Yet in the first eight months of 2025, just $455,000 went directly to three candidates, while millions flowed elsewhere.
A closer look at the filings indicates $2.5 million spent on consultants, $1.1 million on digital advertising, and $965,000 on efforts to build donor lists. Even smaller but notable outlays included nearly $5,000 for a subscription to ClassPass, a service offering fitness classes. These choices stand out against the PAC’s limited support for actual campaigns, raising concerns about resource management in activist-driven organizations.
Kevin Lata, the PAC’s co-founder and executive director, addressed the spending in a statement: “We provide a wellness benefit to our employees, like many employers across the country. Our projections show that every $1 we put into these investments will net $3–$5 by the end of the cycle. This helps to make sure every donation goes farther than it otherwise would.”
The words are meaningless to young radicals who thought they were helping a cause, not high-end consultants. In practice, this approach mirrors patterns seen in other PACs where administrative costs can balloon, sometimes leaving promised goals underfunded.
The candidates who received aid faced steep defeats. Deja Foxx, a 25-year-old social media influencer and activist, got $150,000 but lost her Democratic special election primary by 39 percentage points in July. Irene Shin, backed with $5,000, suffered a wide-margin loss in a June primary for a Virginia House seat. The largest sum, $300,000, went to Zohran Mamdani’s New York City mayoral bid, part of the PAC’s push against incumbents.
Critics have not held back. New York state Sen. James Skoufis reacted to the PAC’s second-quarter filings with sarcasm: “At this rate, [Hogg] would only have to raise a little over $3 billion in order to get his promised $20 million to primary candidates. THIS should be the story, folks.”
His calculation exposes the stark ratio between overhead and direct aid—if current patterns hold, the group would need massive inflows just to meet its own targets for candidate support. This kind of math fuels broader debates about accountability in political fundraising, where high-profile activists like Hogg, who rose to prominence after the 2018 Parkland shooting, attract donations but face pressure to deliver tangible results.
Hogg’s departure from the DNC vice chair role in June amid internal disagreements adds context to the PAC’s independent path, one that emphasizes generational change but now contends with questions about fiscal priorities. As progressive groups vie for influence, these revelations could influence how donors evaluate similar efforts moving forward.
