Buttigieg, Gallego and other potential 2028 Democratic contenders set to discuss party’s future at post-midterms meeting

By Patrick Svitek, CNN

(CNN) — A group of potential 2028 Democratic presidential candidates is heading to Denver days after the midterms to discuss the party’s future, in one of the party’s first major gatherings following the election.

Attendees will include former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and former US Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel, as well as Sens. Ruben Gallego of Arizona, Chris Murphy of Connecticut, Raphael Warnock of Georgia and Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, according to an initial lineup shared first with CNN. The group of speakers also includes Govs. Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey and Abigail Spanberger of Virginia, plus several additional members of Congress.

The “What’s Next” summit is being hosted from November 12-14 by Majority Democrats, an organization that launched last year to help Democrats win in more places.

In staging the event less than two weeks after the midterms, where Democrats hope to retake the Senate and the House, the group is looking to move quickly to outline the lessons learned from the election that could be instructive going forward, including in the next White House race.

“This isn’t a policy conference nor a talk shop on tactics,” said Massachusetts Rep. Jake Auchincloss, chair of Majority Democrats, in a statement. “What’s Next is timed for a unique moment after the midterms and before the presidential to debate a vision for the Democratic Party. Politicians who believe they have that vision should be on that stage.”

Organizers chose Denver partly because it is one of the cities under consideration to host the 2028 Democratic National Convention.

The initial lineup also includes top party strategists such as David Axelrod, former senior adviser to President Barack Obama and a chief political analyst at CNN; Quentin Fulks, former principal deputy campaign manager for Kamala Harris in 2024; and Morris Katz, adviser to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

Majority Democrats is not the only organization holding an event in the immediate aftermath of the midterms in a bid to shape the party’s future. Two days after the election, some of the party’s most prominent strategists and commentators are set to converge in Washington, DC, for Crooked Con, which is hosted by the progressive media company Crooked Media.

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