Leaders We Deserve
| Leaders We Deserve | |
 | |
| Basic facts | |
| Location: | Washington, D.C. |
| Type: | Hybrid PAC |
| Affiliation: | Democratic |
| Top official: | David Hogg, president |
| Founder(s): | David Hogg and Kevin Lata |
| Year founded: | 2023 |
| Website: | Official website |
Leaders We Deserve is a hybrid PAC founded in 2023 by David Hogg and Kevin Lata. According to its website, the organization "is a grassroots organization dedicated to electing young progressives to Congress and State Legislatures across the country to help defeat the far-right agenda and advance a progressive vision for the future."[1]
Background
Leaders We Deserve was founded in 2023 by activist David Hogg and former Maxwell Frost (D) campaign manager Kevin Lata. In a Medium post, Hogg wrote, "The empowered youth, who grew up leading impactful movements such as March For Our Lives and School Strike for Climate, are now graduating high school and college. They can now vote, they can now run for elected positions, and they can now be the better leaders we need. We can help them do that."[2]
According to their website, Leaders We Deserve's mission "is to identify and elect more trailblazers – youthful, audacious, and charismatic leaders who aren’t afraid to challenge the status quo."[3]
Leadership
As of February 2026, the PAC's leadership team was:[4][5][6]
- David Hogg, president
- Kevin Lata, executive director
- Laurie Van Hall, treasurer
Work and activities
Supporting younger Democratic candidates
Leaders We Deserve supports the campaigns of young Democratic candidates for office, offering financial support and volunteer assistance.[7] In a 2025 interview, Hogg said the organization spent money on candidate recruitment and on helping candidates throughout the cycle.[5]
2026
In April 2025, the PAC announced it would spend up to $20 million to support primary challenges against older Democratic officials in the 2026 election cycle.[8] On their website, the PAC said, "Too many elected leaders in the Democratic Party are either unwilling or unable to meet the moment and are asleep at the wheel while Trump is demolishing the economy, challenging the foundations of our democracy, and creating new existential crises for our country by the day... Younger leaders simply bring a different level of urgency that we just aren’t seeing in our politics right now."[9]
2025
In 2025, the PAC provided financial support to support the mayoral candidacy of Zohran Mamdani (D-N.Y.), and the House candidacies of Deja Foxx (D-Az.) and Irene Shin (D-Va.).[5]
Notable endorsements
This section displays endorsements this organization made in elections within Ballotpedia's coverage scope.
Finances
The following is a breakdown of Leaders We Deserve's revenues and expenses from 2023 to 2025. The information comes from the Federal Elections Commission.
| Year | Revenue | Expenses |
|---|---|---|
| 2023-2024 | $11.9 million | $11 million |
| 2025-2026 | $8.4 million | $7.4 million |
See also
External links
- Official website
- Leaders We Deserve on X
- Leaders We Deserve on Substack
- Leaders We Deserve on Instagram
Footnotes
- ↑ Leaders We Deserve, "Homepage," accessed February 19, 2026
- ↑ Medium, "Leaders We Deserve," August 9, 2023
- ↑ Leaders We Deserve, "About Us," accessed February 25, 2026
- ↑ LinkedIn, "David Hogg," accessed February 25, 202
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Washington Post, "David Hogg wants to change the Democratic Party. He’s off to a slow start.," July 25, 2025
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Leaders We Deserve," accessed February 25, 2026
- ↑ Northwest Progressive, "Say hello to Leaders We Deserve, a new PAC working to elect young progressives to office," November 6, 2023
- ↑ ABC News, "David Hogg-run group announces $20M initiative to support primary challengers to House Democrats," April 16, 2025
- ↑ Leaders We Deserve, "Primarying Democrats," accessed February 25, 2026
| |||||||
