DENVER (AP) — After posting their best electoral performance in half a century, Democratic officials and strategists will converge on Denver starting Thursday to chart the party’s path forward and rejoice in their gains.
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The two-day What’s Next conference, organized by a new group called Majority Democrats, was put on politicians’ calendars months ago as another stepping stone as the party navigated its way out of the post-2024 political wilderness.
Democrats will now have to figure out what to do with majorities in both houses of Congress and control of at least 12 new state legislative chambers.
The calendar includes some of the victorious candidates from the midterm elections, such as Texas Senator-elect James Talarico and Iowa Senator-elect Josh Turek.
There will also be potential presidential candidates, such as former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, New Jersey Senator Cory Booker and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro.
It’s a who’s who of emerging Democratic talent that will also make the event a showcase for the party.
The gathering is also a showcase of sorts for Denver, which remains in the hunt for the party convention in 2028 after last hosting one in 2008. The city is selling itself as a modern example of a purple state turning solid blue, and its mayor, Mike Johnston, will kick off the festivities on Thursday.
The group Majority Democrats seeks to bridge traditional center-left divisions that have divided the party for years, particularly since the 2024 election that returned President Donald Trump to the White House. He positions himself particularly as the voice of a new generation of party leaders tired of old ideological and institutional battles, and the list of speakers is noticeably young.
The conference also includes various party leaders, such as incoming House Speaker Hakeem Jeffries, who has sparked suspicion among some on the left who continue to target the party’s power structure in Washington.
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