Dems' Denver victory party previews 2028 battles
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Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a potential 2028 presidential candidate, onstage at the What's Next summit in Denver. Photo: Mark Makela / Getty Images
DENVER — Thousands of Democrats gathered here this weekend for a giddy postelection summit, reveling in their party's historic midterm victories and touting the center-left strategy they say powered them.
- But some progressives saw the event as a lavish, out-of-touch affair bankrolled by billionaires — exactly what Democrats just campaigned against.
- "I'm all for celebration, but perhaps a fancy retreat does not exactly meet the tenor of the moment," said Josh Orton, president of the liberal group Demand Justice and a veteran of Bernie Sanders' 2020 campaign.
Why it matters: The competing views of What's Next, the buzzy confab held by the influential centrist organization Majority Democrats, offer an early glimpse of the ideological battles over health care, money in politics and other issues that will define the party's 2028 presidential primary.
Zoom in: Democrats in the Mile High City were practically vibrating with happiness, still not quite able to believe they'd won back both chambers of Congress and flipped deep-red states such as Mississippi and South Carolina.
- "The vibes are excellent," Delaware Rep. Sarah McBride, a member of the Majority Democrats, said in an interview.
- "The last high-water mark, we were all in our houses on Zooms," she added, referring to the 2020 presidential election. "This is the first time there's been an undeniable capacity to celebrate widespread wins in the last decade."
- Free drinks flowed. Political operatives sported bomber jackets embroidered with the phrase "Majority Democrats." Speakers were immortalized in rock concert–style posters on the walls.
For a brief moment in Denver's Mission Ballroom, the often-in-disarray Democratic Party looked united.
- Several presidential hopefuls downplayed the party's divides in speeches.
- Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said onstage that ordinary people don't give "a damn" about "where we fall on some imaginary political spectrum."
- Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin quipped in her address that elected officials who were fighting over progressives vs. moderates had "missed the plot."
The other side: But others in the party weren't interested in all the kumbaya.
- Young protesters sneaked into the event and heckled House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), shouting "You're a f**king traitor!" while calling for Medicare for All and impeachment.
- Some audience members were palpably annoyed, yelling "Shut up!"
Another flashpoint emerged over high-dollar donors and super PACs.
- Majority Democrats — which is largely funded by a billionaire couple and describes itself as an alternative to both the "activist left" and a "gerontocratic establishment" — is already in the crosshairs of the Lever, a progressive publication.
- Majority Democrats' funding has been the focus of reporting by the Lever. The group tussled with the news site over the Denver event, initially denying it press passes and later blocking one of its journalists from interviewing an elected official.
- David Sirota, founder of the Lever, said the group's actions were "Trump-like attempts at retribution." But there was a silver lining for the outlet: The back-and-forth generated the single biggest influx of new subscribers in its history, he said.
What they're saying: "What's Next was an overwhelming success: It brought together 3,500 Democrats from across the political spectrum to talk about what worked this cycle and where we go next," said Majority Democrats spokesperson Vidhya Jeyadev.
- "This cycle, we won seats that had been written off for a generation and proved there is no one way to be a Democrat."
The intrigue: Some potential 2028 candidates in Denver tried to portray themselves as unifiers who can bridge the party's divides.
- New Jersey Sen. Andy Kim, who declined to rule out a 2028 bid, said, "I understand" where the protesters were coming from.
- "People are furious," he added.
