Dems admit uncomfortable election sweep truth as party descends on Denver to shape 2028 without a frontrunner
DENVER — Fresh off sweeping midterm victories, Democratic leaders, strategists and potential 2028 presidential contenders are heading to Colorado to debate what comes next for their party.
Key points
- Lis Smith, a longtime Democratic strategist and veteran of several presidential campaigns, serves as a senior adviser to the group and said the post-midterm election event would take an honest look at the party’s recent victories and what comes next now that they will control the House and the Senate.
- "Democrats won big last week, but let’s be honest: the election was more a repudiation of Donald Trump than a validation of our party," Smith told Fox News Digital.
- With no clear frontrunner, the gathering gives potential contenders a chance to share their views as Democrats consider who might lead the party’s next campaign.
Organizers describe the gathering as a chance to assess the 2026 results and discuss the leaders, ideas and debates that could shape the party through 2028 and beyond.
The conference’s high-profile guest list could also offer an early glimpse of the party’s 2028 presidential field, fueling speculation about who may seek the nomination.
Additional details
- Party leaders have pledged to lower costs, improve government services and investigate the Trump administration, but the party still faces questions about how to unite its progressive and moderate wings.
- The conference was scheduled even before Democrats' sweeping midterm victories earlier this month, when they saw historic seat flips not just in traditional Republican strongholds like Texas, Kansas and South Carolina.
- VOTERS PUNISHED THE GOP OVER COSTS; NOW, DEMOCRATS FACE THE AFFORDABILITY TEST The conference is not an official Democratic Party event.
- Jake Auchincloss, D-Mass., it is billed as an "independent, outsider conversation" about the party’s future.
- Cory Booker, D-N.J., Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., and Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich.; Sen.-elect James Talarico, D-Texas; New Jersey Gov.
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