Activist David Hogg Rallies Rivertown Democrats

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Gun control activist David Hogg at Christ Church with Nyack Deputy Mayor Pascale Jean-Gilles

October 22, 2025

By Xavier Zahnle–

On Monday night, progressive activist David Hogg headlined a town hall discussion, sponsored by the CD17 Community Coalition at Christ Episcopal Church in Tarrytown. The event was entitled Future First and promoted opportunities for younger politicians and community organizers to bring change into the Democratic Party.

Hogg is a survivor of the 2018 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida and was part of a group of high school students who founded the gun control advocacy group Never Again MSD. In 2025 he served as a co-vice chair of the Democratic National Committee. CD17 stands for New York Congressional District 17, where representative Mike Lawler (R) is the incumbent. Over 200 people were in attendance.

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David Hogg started the event by saying that Democratic Party policy needs to be framed around the good that government can do, not just about harm. “Being morally just is not just the right thing to do, he said. “It is the electorally advantageous thing to do.” He said that Democrats need to return to being the “party of public service” that implemented Medicare, Medicaid, and the Social Security net. He said there is “no excuse” for Democrats not to have free school lunch programs in states they control. He went further, saying any Democrat who opposes Medicare for all should be replaced using primary elections.

A packed house at Tarrytown’s Christ Church

When asked about how to win over Millennial and Generation Z voters, Hogg immediately identified healthcare affordability as one of the most important issues. Hogg pointed to New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani as a model for engaging young voters. “There is a lesson to be learned there from somebody [Mamdani] who went out there and got three times the 18-24 year old turnout in a primary that Kamala Harris got in a general election.”

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