With the biggest victory in midterm elections in fifty years, the Democrats have every reason to celebrate. Early next year, they will control both chambers of Congress, a feat partly achieved by winning significantly in traditionally Republican areas. Now that the euphoria of victory is starting to fade, Democratic Congress members, donors, and strategists are trying to set a new party course in Denver, Colorado.
At the What's Next conference, party members from across the country gather for the first time since election day. On the square in front of the main hall, bands play and food trucks are present. The audience is young and the atmosphere is exuberant, but inside the hall there is also discomfort. A speaker says from the podium: "We are a large group, which is why we printed T-shirts with 'Getting Along' on them." This almost incantatory phrase is a blunt acknowledgment that the internal party struggle is still unresolved.
The question of what kind of Democrat the victory is owed to preoccupies everyone here. Is it the left-wing, progressive corner or are the moderate candidates responsible? And which direction should the party leadership listen to in the run-up to the presidential elections in two years?
When the newly elected senator from Texas, James Talarico, takes the stage, he is greeted with a standing ovation. The 37-year-old Talarico is the face of the political upheaval in a state where Democrats have suffered decades of election defeats. "We have ended the longest series of election losses in American politics," he begins his speech.
Collaborating with Trump
The moderate Talarico also issues a compelling call: "There is a great need for new politics, with an outstretched hand instead of a clenched fist. And therefore we must work with President Trump. That way we can carry out our agenda."
That message is hard for the audience to swallow, as thunderous applause is absent. Yet Talarico is not the only speaker warning that the voters' mandate will vanish like snow in the sun if the Democrats do not deliver on issues that have become almost unaffordable for many Americans. Housing, healthcare, gasoline, and groceries have all become significantly more expensive and are creating holes in household budgets.
So there is work to be done for the Democrats, who broadly agree on what they want to do with their new majority. Ken Martin, the chairman of the Democrats, already mentioned three concrete plans on MS NOW: undoing Trump's import tariffs, reversing his healthcare cuts, and ending the Iran war.
Who won the midterms?
The plans fit the broader campaign the party ran, focusing on affordable living. According to the left-wing factions, those campaign points come from their side, and thus the victory is owed to them. "Progressive ideas won the elections," said the leader of the progressive faction earlier.
His faction is growing in the House of Representatives by 25 people and is larger than ever. They also point to the Senate seat in Maine, where the left wing managed to snatch the seat from the Republicans. For progressives, this is proof that the Democratic Party should move more in their direction.
But the Democrats in the center also claim responsibility for the blue tsunami. They captured most of the seats from Republicans: six of the eight Senate seats won went to moderates.
Moreover, the moderate factions say the progressives were not as successful as it seems: they won, but with smaller margins than moderate candidates. "The lesson is clear," writes the moderate faction Third Way Caucus on their own site: "Democrats in the center secured a majority in 2026 and are the example for 2028."
'We must deliver more'
Denver is not only the place where the party determines its own future, it is also where the first candidates for the 2028 presidency audition. Senator Cory Booker from New Jersey, Governor Josh Shapiro from Pennsylvania, and Pete Buttigieg, former cabinet member under Joe Biden, are on the program. According to new polls, Buttigieg is an attractive candidate for 29 percent of Democrats, as is Senator Jon Ossoff from Georgia.
For Senator Chris Coons from Delaware, the speculation about the White House is all premature. He tells NOS that the focus now should mainly be on what they achieve in Congress. "It's not that millions of Americans suddenly agree with our policies. We won because they are frustrated that Donald Trump lied to them and did not meet their expectations," he says soberly.
"Now we must promise less and deliver more. And start the real hard work to make the country fairer and more humane again."