Democrats Gather in Denver After Best Election Showing in 50 Years

Democratic officials and strategists gathered in Denver on Thursday to celebrate what the party calls its best electoral performance in 50 years and to start planning how to use its new power, according to ABC News.

The two-day conference, called What's Next, is hosted by a new group, Majority Democrats. It was scheduled months ago as part of the party's effort to recover from its political slump after the 2024 election. Now the party must decide what to do with majorities in both chambers of Congress and control of at least 12 new state legislative chambers.

What speakers told the crowd

Former New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, a Democrat, said the party could now turn to rebuilding the country's foundation. Texas Sen.-elect James Talarico said voters were eager for results and could not wait two years for President Donald Trump to leave office. He urged Democrats to avoid both infighting and excessive caution, and he said the party could not settle for changes people would only feel a decade from now.

Former Attorney General Eric Holder echoed that message. He said this was not a time for timidity and warned Democrats against reaching aimlessly for bipartisan deals. In his view, Democrats have been less comfortable than Republicans with gaining and using power.

Rob Sand, who was elected Iowa's first Democratic governor in nearly two decades, described his approach of holding town halls in every county and letting anyone ask questions without screening. Voters want politicians who listen and answer honestly, he said.

Why Democrats won, according to party data analysts

Party data analysts presented charts and preliminary data on who voted and why, trying to explain a victory that was widespread and that few in the party had predicted. David Shor, one of the party's best-known number crunchers, said Democrats won mainly because many people who voted for Trump in 2024 stayed home.

Shor cautioned that most of the voters Democrats lost two years ago have not become Democrats. Winning them back, he said, will require the new majority to stay focused on the economic concerns that voters rank highest.

Who is on the program

The lineup includes newly elected Democrats and potential presidential candidates, among them former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro. The likely next House speaker, Hakeem Jeffries, is also taking part. According to ABC News, some on the left remain suspicious of Jeffries because they continue to target the party's Washington power structure.

Majority Democrats says it wants to bridge the long-running splits between the party's left and center, splits that have deepened since Trump returned to the White House after the 2024 election. The group presents itself as the voice of a new generation of leaders weary of old ideological and establishment fights, and ABC News noted that the speaker list skews noticeably young.

The conference is also a showcase for Denver, which is still competing to host the party's 2028 convention. It last hosted one in 2008. The city is promoting itself as an example of a purple state that turned solidly blue. Attendees filled a concert venue in central Denver, and those who stayed outside could watch speakers on a large screen in a plaza with food trucks and snowcapped mountains in the distance.

Why it matters

For voters, the debate in Denver offers an early look at how the party plans to use majorities in Congress and in state legislatures. The speakers' emphasis on results and on voters' economic worries suggests that the party's leaders expect to be judged on what they deliver, though the speeches did not lay out specific legislation.

The gathering also shows the tension inside the party. Speakers such as Talarico and Holder pressed for bolder action, while Shor's analysis implied that many voters have only lent Democrats their support. How the party balances those views will shape the choices it makes in the new Congress and in statehouses where it has gained control.

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Around Prague, based on reporting by ABC News

Cover photo: Onetwo1 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0, cropped