Democrats who could seek the party’s 2028 presidential nomination, including Rep. Ro Khanna of California, former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Sens. Cory Booker, Raphael Warnock, Elissa Slotkin and Ruben Gallego, are on the program for a two-day gathering in Denver that opens Thursday afternoon, nine days after the midterm elections.
The conference, called “What’s Next,” is presented by Majority Democrats and sponsored by its political action committee, MD PAC, according to the event’s website, which bills it as “an independent, outsider conversation about the future of the Democratic Party” and “not an official party event.” Organizers list 95 confirmed participants, from elected officials to pollsters, strategists and musicians.
“What’s Next will be one of the first places Democrats sit down together to sort through what worked, what didn’t, and where the party goes next,” Majority Democrats wrote in an October newsletter. The group’s spokesperson, Matt Corridoni, told CBS News the event “is an opportunity for Democrats from every wing of the party to have the open and often difficult conversations we need to win in 2028,” the newsletter said.
Majority Democrats is led by Rep. Jake Auchincloss of Massachusetts and contrasts itself with what it calls the “gerontocratic establishment” and the “activist left,” Denverite reported. The Associated Press described the meeting as a chance for the party to plot its course after its best electoral performance in half a century.
Thursday: what happened
Thursday’s opening program begins with Denver Mayor Mike Johnston and civil rights lawyer Bryan Stevenson, according to the published agenda. A session titled “What Happened” features data analysts Charlotte Swasey, David Shor and Lakshya Jain, and “How We Did It” brings together candidates who won this month, including Texas Sen.-elect James Talarico. Former Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. and Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland are scheduled for a session on “Keeping Our Democracy,” followed by a “Freshman Orientation” panel, moderated by comedian Alex Edelman, with Bob Brooks, Jamie Ager, Paige Cognetti and Josh Turek. Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet closes the day.
Friday: the 2028 field
The Friday morning program at the Mission Ballroom includes House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries in a conversation about “The 120th Congress,” moderated by Jessica Tarlov, as Democrats prepare to take the House majority in January.
Khanna, widely seen as a likely contender for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination, is scheduled to appear Friday with Sens. Andy Kim of New Jersey and Chris Van Hollen of Maryland in a session titled “The Trust Deficit.” Khanna has made more visits to Nevada, the second state on the Democrats’ 2028 calendar, than any other potential candidate as of early November, The Washington Inquisitor reported, and he took his economic message to college campuses in the final days of the midterm campaign.
A panel on “Executive Decisions,” moderated by David Axelrod, features Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger, New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill and Colorado Gov.-elect Phil Weiser. Slotkin, Gallego and Shapiro share a session on “The Next Era of the Democratic Party.” The closing program pairs Warnock and Booker on “The Moral Majority,” and Buttigieg and Rep. Sarah McBride of Delaware on the conference’s title question, “What’s Next.” Buttigieg announced this week that he has written a book titled “Next” as he weighs a 2028 run, The Washington Inquisitor reported.
Auchincloss is scheduled to speak Friday morning under the heading “A Different Kind of Democrat.” The site lists the questions the organizers want answered, among them “How can the disparate wings of the Democratic Party come together to win elections?” and “What is the work we must do now to win in 2028?”
Denver’s convention pitch
For Johnston, the conference doubles as an audition. Denver is one of three finalists to host the 2028 Democratic National Convention, along with Boston and Philadelphia, Axios Denver reported. “We’d love to make the case that the ’28 presidential cycle can start in Denver and end in Denver,” Johnston told Axios, adding that he plans to pitch the city’s approaches to homelessness, housing and public safety. Majority Democrats spokesperson Vidhya Jeyadev told Axios that Colorado’s two-decade shift into a Democratic stronghold made it a natural host.
The meeting also reflects a debate inside the party over whether to move left or toward the center heading into 2028, Axios reported. In Denver, Democratic Socialists of America member Melat Kiros won the seat held by longtime Rep. Diana DeGette, Denverite noted, and state party chair Shad Murib has said a party “that can nominate John Hickenlooper and Melat Kiros is a healthy, diverse, and inclusive organization.”
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