Effort to craft new agenda for 2028 nominee draws skepticism as polls, defections plague Democratic ranks.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
WASHINGTON — A new initiative by Democratic operatives to craft a forward-looking policy framework for the 2028 election is being met with skepticism by strategists and former party insiders, who say the party’s internal divisions and donor fatigue may doom the effort before it gains traction.
Dubbed “Project 2029,” the initiative is being organized by former Arizona Democratic Party chair Andrei Cherny, according to the New York Times. The plan is to assemble a comprehensive agenda for the next Democratic presidential nominee, a response to widespread criticism that Vice President Kamala Harris failed to offer a compelling policy platform during her failed 2024 campaign.
Cherny told the Times the Democrats lost in part because they ran against former President Donald Trump’s policies without offering a clear alternative. “You can’t beat something with nothing,” he said.
But party analysts aren’t convinced. “The Democratic Party is fractured,” said Adolph Mongo, a Democratic strategist and former journalist, in remarks to the Daily Caller News Foundation. “The far left has destroyed the party. Black and brown voters have abandoned the party. Democrats across the country are quitting and turning Republican.”
Mongo called Project 2029 a “fantastic idea” that was “unrealistic” given the party’s current condition.
The project draws comparisons to the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025, a conservative policy blueprint that Democrats aggressively used to attack Trump during the 2024 campaign. Despite that messaging push, Trump won re-election and carried every swing state.
Tom Basile, a contributor to the Daily Caller and host of Newsmax’s “America Right Now,” said Democrats lack the messengers and credibility to reverse their fortunes. “The highest-profile members of the Democratic Party are AOC, Bernie Sanders, and Zohran Mamdani — all socialists,” Basile said. “Socialism is not compatible with American life and most Americans know that.”
Mamdani’s primary victory in the New York City mayoral race last month has fueled concern among some Democrats that the party is drifting further left at a time when its traditional base is shrinking.
The party has also struggled with messaging, fundraising, and internal unity. Several top Democrats have warned the brand has become too “woke,” while others have pointed to recent polls showing declining public approval. A drop in DNC donations and reports of infighting have added to the party’s post-election woes.
Basile said any new policy initiative will struggle to gain traction without financial backing. “Delivering a message doesn’t only require a credible messenger, but also money — and the DNC is flat broke,” he said. “This flirtation with socialist policies is now a pattern. Claims that Democrats are ready to moderate will be met with tremendous skepticism.”
The party’s current challenge, Basile added, is its shift toward a cultural agenda that many voters view as extreme. “For nearly a decade, Democrats have said loud and clear they care more about transgenderism, militant censorship, and open borders than making Americans financially secure.”
By contrast, he said Trump’s populist message continues to resonate with working-class voters. “Donald Trump is the blue-collar billionaire who is speaking directly to the needs of the working men and women of this country,” Basile said. “His reform agenda has stolen core issues from the Democrats, who now rely on radical social agendas to motivate their base.”
Despite rising speculation over the 2028 Democratic field, strategists say the path forward remains unclear. As party leaders scramble to rebuild, Project 2029 faces long odds in convincing disaffected voters that Democrats can deliver on their promises.