Democrats gather in Denver to chart path ahead : NPR

Texas Senator-elect James Talarico speaks at the Mission Ballroom during the What’s Next Denver political convention on Nov. 12, 2026.

David Zalubowski/AP

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David Zalubowski/AP

DENVER — Democrats descended on Denver for a two-day conference that was half victory party, half sober look at the road ahead on delivering for the voters who elected them.

The “What’s Next” conference, hosted by the group Majority Democrats, was scheduled long before Democrats outperformed expectations with their best electoral performance since Watergate. It brought together rising stars — like incoming Gov. Rob Sand in Iowa and Sen.-elect James Talarico in Texas — along with strategists, organizers, state and federal lawmakers and potential presidential contenders.

Held at a concert hall, with colorful artwork of party heavy hitters dotting the venue, Democrats attended sessions like “What Voters Want” and “What Needs To Change.” The overwhelming emphasis from speakers was that Democrats have to earn back trust.

A compilation of posters on display at the What’s Next conference in Denver on November 12, 2026.
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“We won races in places where we haven’t won in a long time, even in some places where we’ve never won. And the message shouldn’t be that [voters] are fully embracing the Democratic Party,” said Colorado Rep. Jason Crow in an interview.

“It took us decades to dig ourselves in a hole and to push people away from us, and it’s going to take us more than one cycle to earn that trust,” said Crow, who is one of the party’s recruitment co-chairs.

Attendees cheer during the What’s Next summit. Following the midterm elections, prominent Democrats and political insiders gathered for the event to evaluate election results, and debate party strategy.

Mark Makela/Getty Images/Getty Images North America

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Mark Makela/Getty Images/Getty Images North America

A party on probation

Anderson Clayton, chair of the North Carolina Democratic Party, took the party to task for not investing more in the South and in Black voters.

“When we say that Black voters are the base of our party, then I ask why are we not investing in a region of the country that on Tuesday night just proved everybody wrong of what is possible,” said Clayton to much applause. “Rural America deserves the investment from the Democratic Party and we must run towards communities that our party has run away from.”

Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said Democrats shouldn’t rest on their laurels.

“I think we are adequately politically traumatized by the last few cycles, so that we will not draw the wrong lessons from all of this,” Buttigieg said. “Because here’s the thing: it is yet to be written whether what we just experienced is one more oscillation from one side to the other and back, or whether it is the beginning of a tectonic movement changing American politics.”