The midterms are over, and several Democrats weighing a run for president in 2028 will share a stage in Denver this week. The What’s Next summit, set for Nov. 12–14, was planned before Election Day to take stock of the midterms and prepare for 2028. Now it offers an early look at how potential contenders interpret the party’s gains and what they think it will take to win back the White House.
Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas is among the leaders on the program. Lucas, a vice chair of summit organizer Majority Democrats, will join Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb, Miami Mayor Eileen Higgins and San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan on Friday, Nov. 13. According to the mayor’s office, they’ll discuss how progress on public safety, housing and affordability can help city leaders earn voters’ trust.
The published lineup includes Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Sens. Cory Booker, Raphael Warnock, Elissa Slotkin and Ruben Gallego, and Rep. Ro Khanna. With no clear Democratic front-runner, Denver gives some of the party’s most closely watched figures a chance to lay out their ideas before formal campaigns begin. Reuters reports that some prospective candidates have already been cultivating donors and visiting states that could vote early in the nominating contest.
Former Vice President Kamala Harris, who has left the door open to another run, does not appear on the published lineup as of Nov. 8. California Gov. Gavin Newsom is also unlisted. Organizers say they plan to announce more participants.
Majority Democrats launched in 2025 after the party’s 2024 losses. Chaired by Massachusetts Rep. Jake Auchincloss, it brings together Democratic members of Congress, governors, mayors and state lawmakers who want the party to compete in places where it has struggled. Beyond the mayors’ panel, the summit will examine what successful midterm campaigns did differently, how to reach Gen Z voters and where the party’s different wings might find common ground on a 2028 platform.