It’s safe to say that Rhode Island Democrats didn’t expect David Hogg to become one of the most polarizing people in their party when they invited the 25-year-old gun safety activist to a “build the bench” fundraiser at Fish Co. in Providence that is scheduled for later today.

But Hogg, who was elected vice chair of the Democratic National Committee earlier this year, has rankled the party establishment in recent weeks with a pledge to spend $20 million next year backing primary challenges to Democrats in safe blue seats – part of an attempt to elect younger candidates to Congress and state legislatures.

Now Hogg is facing intense backlash from party leaders, and newly elected DNC Chairman Ken Martin plans to introduce a new rule within the party that would require DNC officers to remain neutral in primaries, according to Politico. 

So is there any chance Hogg, who runs an organization called Leaders We Deserve, is preparing to come after incumbent Democrats in Rhode Island?

“We haven’t taken any state off the map,” Hogg told me in a brief interview on Wednesday. He said that he has no specific plans for Rhode Island, but he said his group is still doing research about where it will focus its efforts.

“We’re looking to see who meets the moment in Congress,” Hogg said.

Hogg, who met with college Democrats at Brown University on Wednesday, said he sees lots of opportunities for Rhode Island Democrats to address the state’s most pressing issues, including approving a ban on assault-style firearms and the housing crisis.

The bigger picture: Hogg rose to prominence after surviving the tragic school shooting in Parkland, Florida, that killed 17 people in 2018. He was expected to rally Democrats around a proposal to ban assault weapons, but an event scheduled to be held at the National Education Association Rhode Island office was canceled. The party’s fundraiser is still on.

Hogg stopped short of saying an assault weapons ban should be a litmus test issue for Democrats, but he said he doesn’t think party members should just “throw their hands up and do nothing” on issues like gun safety.

He suggested his plans to support primaries against incumbent Democrats is more about the issues than age – even though Leaders We Deserve has said its mission is to bring generational change to the party.

“What I want is people in leadership positions who can lead effectively,” Hogg said.