Three more Democrats with 2028 ambitions are joining a post-midterm Denver summit as their party tries to reverse a “weak” brand and forge an agenda after losing the White House.
Sens. Cory Booker of New Jersey and Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, along with Rep. Ro Khanna of California, plan to attend the “What’s Next” gathering in Denver from Nov. 12 to 14, nine days after next month’s midterm elections, CBS News reported.
The three progressives join an early lineup of other possible presidential contenders and party figures who say they want open talks across factions. The meeting comes as Democrats still lack a settled political identity after the 2024 White House loss and hope a House win in November can carry momentum into 2028.
Majority Democrats, formed last year by largely moderate elected officials and other high-profile Democrats, is hosting the event. Rep. Jake Auchincloss of Massachusetts chairs the group. Organizers first shared the updated attendee list with CBS News.
Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Sens. Raphael Warnock of Georgia, Ruben Gallego of Arizona, and Chris Murphy of Connecticut were already on the initial list of possible 2028 names. Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger and New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill also plan to attend, along with other members of Congress and political strategists.
A person familiar with the planning said more than 2,000 people are expected. Denver is also among the cities under consideration to host the 2028 Democratic National Convention.
Majority Democrats say they are committed to reshaping and growing the party. Their spokesperson put the problem in blunt terms.
Matt Corridoni, spokesperson for Majority Democrats, said:
"Democrats have talked a big game about building a ‘big tent’ that can hold onto a majority. The sad reality is, we were all hat, no cattle when it came time to live up to those ideals."
Corridoni framed the summit as a chance to fix that gap before the next presidential cycle.
He added:
"What’s Next is an opportunity for Democrats from every wing of the party to have the open and often difficult conversations we need to win in 2028."
Rohan Patel, the group’s executive director, cast the same goal in platform language.
Patel said:
"Winning in 2028 will require us coming together to take the best ideas from every corner of the Democratic Party and forging them into an agenda that can build a durable majority and deliver for the American people."
A February CBS News poll found most voters described the Democratic Party as “weak.” Moderate and progressive Democrats still disagree on direction. The summit’s stated aim is to pull lessons from the 2026 races into the presidential contest by bringing leading voices from different factions into one room.
Booker ran for president in 2020 and dropped out before the first primary contests. He remains widely believed to hold presidential ambitions. Van Hollen has acknowledged he is “kicking the tires” on a possible 2028 run. Khanna has described himself as a “long-shot presidential candidate.” All three have introduced tax plans that could serve as precursors to 2028 platforms.
While the party plots its next identity, its better-known figures have kept campaigning. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and former Vice President Kamala Harris visited Michigan this fall to campaign with Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed. California Gov. Gavin Newsom campaigned in New Hampshire last weekend with Rep. Chris Pappas, who is in a tight Senate race.
The calendar is already tight. Midterms arrive in November. The summit opens nine days later. Organizers want the conversations finished and an agenda sketched before the 2028 field hardens. Whether a meeting of moderates, progressives, governors, and strategists can produce more than another round of “big tent” rhetoric is the test they set for themselves.
Democrats lost the White House in 2024. Voters later branded the party weak. Now the same party is packing a Denver ballroom to decide what comes next, proof that slogans do not rebuild a majority.
