(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Some Democratic Party members convened in February to discuss revamping the party to win elections. Ironically, their new vision aligns closely with the powerful and influential MAGA movement.
The retreat took place at a “tony resort” off the Potomac River and was attended by Democratic consultants, campaign staffers, elected officials and party leaders, Politico reported Sunday.
According to internal documents, among their recommendations were that Democrats should embrace “patriotism,” ditch leftist seminars and even attend gun shows. These are traits traditionally associated with President Donald Trump’s Republican Party.
New @playbookdc: Last month, a group of moderate Democratic consultants, campaign staffers, elected officials & party leaders gathered in Loudoun County, Virginia, for a retreat where they plotted their party’s comeback.
We got their takeaways. pic.twitter.com/lA1nVshriG
— Adam Wren (@adamwren) March 2, 2025
These recommendations come in the wake of Trump and Republicans sweeping the 2024 elections—winning the White House, regaining control of the Senate and maintaining a conservative majority in the House. In addition, conservatives hold a comfortable majority in the Supreme Court, with three justices appointed by Trump.
Commentators believe the Democratic Party’s humiliating defeat this past November was fueled by their embrace of unpopular policies, such as open borders and radical gender ideology, and their overall antagonism toward conservative Americans.
At the retreat, Democrats sought to address these issues by focusing on messaging and the economy and doing less identity politics.
According to Politico, party officials also recommended they disassociate themselves from institutions like academia, the legacy media and government bureaucrats.
Other recommendations included:
- Embracing “patriotism, community, and traditional imagery.”
- Banning “far-left candidate questionnaires.”
- Refusing “to participate in forums that create ideological purity tests.”
- Moving “away from the dominance of small-dollar donors whose preferences may not align with the broader electorate.”
- Pushing “back against far-left staffers and groups that exert a disproportionate influence on policy and messaging”
- Getting “out of elite circles and into real communities (e.g., tailgates, gun shows, local restaurants, churches).”
- Owning “the failures of Democratic governance in large cities” and committing “to improving local government.”
It is unclear who exactly attended the day-and-a-half retreat, which was hosted by Matt Bennett, the co-founder of center-left think tank Third Way.
Also uncertain is whether Democrats will adopt these measures and whether they represent genuine changes or merely tactical moves to win elections before reverting to their old ways once in power.
