WASHINGTON — Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), a likely contender for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination, takes the main stage in Denver on Friday as Democrats’ “What’s Next” conference moves into a second day built around potential White House candidates, a day after the city’s downtown development authority voted to put up to $40 million behind Denver’s bid to host the party’s 2028 convention.
Mr. Khanna joins Sens. Andy Kim of New Jersey and Chris Van Hollen of Maryland for a morning discussion titled “The Trust Deficit,” according to the conference agenda. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro speaks with Sens. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan and Ruben Gallego of Arizona on “The Next Era of the Democratic Party,” and former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg closes the afternoon program with Rep. Sarah McBride of Delaware. Sens. Raphael Warnock of Georgia and Cory Booker of New Jersey appear on a panel called “The Moral Majority.”
Mr. Khanna, who has described himself as a “long-shot presidential candidate,” is one of the Congressional Progressive Caucus members on an agenda where the party’s left wing was otherwise sparsely represented, along with Ms. McBride, Al Jazeera and Denverite reported. Mr. Van Hollen has said he is “kicking the tires” on a 2028 run, Al Jazeera reported.
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, expected to become speaker in January, is scheduled to discuss the 120th Congress in a conversation moderated by Jessica Tarlov, the agenda shows.
Day one: newly elected Democrats and the cost of living
Thursday’s opening program at the Mission Ballroom featured Democrats who won last week, including Texas Senator-elect James Talarico, who received a loud standing ovation, Iowa Senator-elect Josh Turek and Iowa Governor-elect Rob Sand, Denverite reported. Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado closed the day, according to the agenda, which also listed former Attorney General Eric Holder and Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland on a panel about democracy.
Several speakers argued that affordability, more than identity, decided the midterms. “The Democrats need to build a brand that is associated with cost of living almost exclusively, and that the identity and gender of the candidates aren’t really the most important thing,” political analyst Lakshya Jain said, according to Denverite. Colorado Democratic Party Chair Shad Murib told the outlet that “the biggest thing you’re going to see Democrats take on is this endless foreign war in the Middle East.”
The conference is presented by Majority Democrats, an independent committee and super PAC chaired by Rep. Jake Auchincloss of Massachusetts, and is “not an official party event,” its website says. Steve and Sue Mandel gave more than $10 million to the PAC, nearly three-quarters of what it raised through Oct. 14, according to federal election records cited by Denverite. Progressive protesters gathered on an overpass near the venue to call for new party leadership, the outlet reported. “What we’re finding more and more is a lot of Democratic leaders don’t really see the labels as applicable,” Denver Mayor Mike Johnston said.
Denver’s convention bid
Denver is one of three finalists to host the 2028 Democratic National Convention, along with Boston and Philadelphia, the Democratic National Committee announced in August. The city last hosted in 2008, when Barack Obama accepted the nomination.
On Thursday morning, the Denver Downtown Development Authority board voted unanimously to commit up to $40 million as a contingency reserve if Denver is chosen, according to a release from Mr. Johnston’s office. The money would be available only to cover a shortfall in the host committee’s private fundraising and would have to be repaid by the host committee. The grant now goes to the Denver City Council, which is slated to consider it Nov. 23, Denverite reported.
“The DDDA Board of Directors has been laser focused on improving the economic health and image of Downtown Denver, and this is our best opportunity to showcase our beautiful and exciting downtown with a national audience,” board chair Doug Tisdale said in the release. The mayor’s office cited a Tourism Economics report that the 2024 convention in Chicago generated $371 million in economic impact and more than 3,200 jobs, and said a Denver convention in August 2028 would bring an expected 50,000 visitors and book more than 12,800 downtown hotel rooms.
“It feels a little bit like a rehearsal dinner for the DNC,” Mr. Johnston told Denverite. “We think it is another good chance for us to make the case about why this would be a great way to launch this 2028 season here in Denver.”
Why it matters for 2028
The two-day program puts most of the Democrats discussed as possible 2028 candidates on one stage nine days after the midterms. The Washington Inquisitor reported Thursday on the full lineup and on Tuesday on the roughly $118 million that potential contenders hold in campaign accounts.
Mr. Khanna has been among the most active of them in early-state travel, campaigning this fall from Las Vegas to Omaha, and Friday’s panel gives him one of the conference’s biggest stages.
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