Democrats' 2028 presidential auditions begin in Denver
Behind the scenes: Johnston, a Majority Democrats member, told Axios in a phone interview he personally lobbied to bring the conference to Denver after organizers began scouting locations about a year ago.
Key points
- The gathering comes as Democrats debate whether they should double down on progressive policies or tack toward the center heading into 2028.
- "We'd love to make the case that the '28 presidential cycle can start in Denver and end in Denver," he said.
- Driving the news: The three-day " What's Next " conference, starting Thursday, features dozens of Democratic heavyweights and potential presidential contenders, including House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Pennsylvania Gov.
Johnston argues Colorado proved otherwise: "Leading on those values has made our majority stronger here, not weaker." What we're watching: Denver is one of three finalists to host the 2028 Democratic National Convention, alongside Boston and Philadelphia.
Additional details
- Between the lines: Colorado Democrats have embraced gun safety, immigration and LGBTQ rights — positions some in the party worry could cost votes elsewhere.
- A who's who of Democratic power players descends on Denver this week to plot the party's future, fresh off its sweeping midterm victories.
- Majority Democrats, a group seeking to shape the party's direction, is organizing the event.
- Joe Neguse and Denver Mayor Mike Johnston round out the lineup.
- The big picture: Colorado's two-decade transformation into a Democratic powerhouse made it a natural host, spokesperson Vidhya Jeyadev told Axios.
How this summary was made: extractive summary — built from the sources' own reporting. It is drawn only from the reporting of the sources listed below — read the originals for full detail. How we summarize →
Advertisement
Every article behind this summary — 1 article from 1 outlet
Get stories like this in your inbox.
Subscribe — it's freeOne free email at 6am — your topics, deduplicated, five minutes. No account, no paywall.