After midterm wins, Democrats turn to charting a path ahead without letting voters down

Celebration meets hard questions

The What's Next conference, hosted by Majority Democrats, had been planned before the party exceeded expectations in the elections. It brought rising officeholders, strategists, organizers, lawmakers and possible presidential contenders to Denver for two days.

Sessions addressed voter priorities and changes the party should make. Colorado Rep. Jason Crow cautioned that winning in unfamiliar places did not mean voters had fully embraced Democrats. He said rebuilding trust would take longer than one election cycle.

Calls for broader investment

Anderson Clayton, who leads the North Carolina Democratic Party, criticized Democrats for not investing more in the South and among Black voters. She also called for greater investment in rural America and urged the party to engage with communities it had moved away from.

Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg warned against assuming the results marked a lasting political shift. He said Democrats should be ready to act quickly while also planning for the long term, including by advancing a rapid series of bills to reduce living costs.

Jeffries outlines priorities

Hakeem Jeffries, the presumptive next Speaker of the House, described an agenda that includes reversing Medicaid cuts and banning congressional stock trading. His proposals also include restrictions on mid-decade redistricting and a statutory right to abortion. Jeffries also said the agenda would seek to overturn the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision, which removed limits on political spending by corporations and unions.

Potential contenders share views

The gathering included possible presidential contenders Pete Buttigieg, Cory Booker, Josh Shapiro, Ruben Gallego and Ro Khanna. None announced a campaign, but several offered views on what leadership should look like.

Shapiro told reporters that a president should know how to run an organization and deliver results, as well as have a vision. Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen said he was no longer considering a White House bid and was instead seeking the Senate's top leadership post.