Democrats flock to Denver for a post-midterms introspection-turned-celebration

DENVER -- Fresh off the best electoral performance in half a century, Democratic officials and strategists converged on Denver Thursday to plot a further course for the party and revel in their gains.

The two-day What's Next conference, hosted by a new group called Majority Democrats, was put on politicos' calendars months ago as another stepping stone as the party charted its way out of its post-2024 political wilderness.

Now Democrats will have to figure out what to do with majorities in both chambers of Congress and control of at least 12 new state legislative chambers.

“The fever has broken. The fog has lifted," said Mitch Landrieu, the former Democratic mayor of New Orleans. “And now it falls upon us to rebuild the foundation of this great nation and to fulfill the promise of America.”

Barely a week after voters repudiated President Donald Trump and his Republican Party, Texas Sen.-elect James Talarico said Democrats must work with him. Voters are hungry for results and can't wait two years for Trump to leave office, he said, urging Democrats to avoid both intraparty fights and excessive caution.

“We can’t let them down," Talarico said. “We can’t play it safe. We can’t get bogged down in the same petty fights. We can’t settle for nibbling around the edges, or results people will only feel a decade from now.”

Former Attorney General Eric Holder echoed that theme, saying now “is not a time for timidity" and warning Democrats against aimlessly reaching for bipartisanship.

“For too long, Democrats, unlike Republicans, have been uncomfortable with the acquisition and the use of power," Holder said. “This must end.”

Armed with charts, graphs and preliminary data about who voted and why, Democratic data analysts tried to explain a shockingly widespread victory that few saw coming. Democrats won because so many 2024 Trump voters stayed home, said David Shor, one of the party’s most prominent number crunchers.

“The reality is that most of the voters we lost two years ago still have not become Democrats," Shor said. To win them back, the new Democratic majority needs to stay focused on addressing the economic concerns that are top of mind for voters, he said.

The conference features newly elected Democrats and potential presidential candidates, including former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro.

It's a who's-who of rising Democratic talent and a showcase for the party.

The gathering is also a showcase of sorts for Denver, which remains in the hunt for the party's 2028 convention after last hosting one in 2008. The city is selling itself as a modern example of a purple state turning solid blue.

The Democrats gathered at a concert venue in central Denver. Attendees could crowd into the auditorium or watch speakers on a Jumbotron in an outside plaza flanked by food trucks and, on the horizon, 14,000-foot-high snowcapped peaks.

The group Majority Democrats seeks to bridge the traditional left-center splits that have riven the party for years, particularly since the 2024 election that returned President Donald Trump to the White House. It particularly positions itself as the voice of a new generation of party leaders tired of old ideological and establishment battles, and the speaker list skews noticeably young.

Rob Sand, who was elected Iowa’s first Democratic governor in nearly two decades, explained his decision to hold town hall meetings in every county and allow anyone to ask questions unfiltered. Voters want politicians who listen and answer their questions honestly, he said.

“There’s literally no question that I can be asked, no answer that I could give, no matter how bad, that would speak more loudly than me handing the microphone to someone at my event who says they are Republican," Sand said.

The conference also includes various party leaders, such as the likely next House speaker, Hakeem Jeffries, who has engendered suspicion among some on the left who continue to target the party's Washington power structure.