In Denver, Democrats begin the debate over what comes after Trump

Detailed summary

DENVER — Politics, like life, can come at you fast. Just 10 days after the 2026 midterm elections ended, Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen stood before a gaggle of reporters to…

Just 10 days after the 2026 midterm elections ended, Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen stood before a gaggle of reporters to announce he was dropping plans to run for president in 2028. Over his shoulder, no more than 50 feet away, Michigan Senator Elissa Slotkin sat with other reporters, keeping alive her interest in a run.

Following Van Hollen at the microphones were Arizona Senator Rueben Gallego and then Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, whom reporters peppered with questions on when they would officially announce White House bids. (Both said those were family conversations.) On a different stage, leaders from the early presidential primary states mapped out what it would take to win when voting gets underway in 14 months.

America’s permanent campaign — 2028 edition — is underway, as presidential hopefuls jockey to grab buzz and figure out donor support.

Thousands of Democrats, many still shocked by the size of their party’s wins in the midterm elections earlier this month, gathered in Denver to explore where their party will go next and who will be driving them there.

The aptly named two-day “What’s Next” conference, sponsored by the centrist-minded Majority Democrats — a group led by Newton Representative Jake Auchincloss — featured a party-like atmosphere. It revolved around eight-minute TED Talk-style speeches from governors, senators, the incoming US House speaker, mayors, and party strategists.

Among them were at least a dozen potential 2028 Democratic presidential candidates, including Slotkin, Gallego, Shapiro, former transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg, New Jersey Senator Cory Booker, Representative Ro Khanna of California, and Georgia Senator Raphael Warnock. Former New Orleans mayor and Biden administration adviser Mitch Landrieu, who also spoke, told the Globe he, too, was considering joining what is likely to be the largest field of presidential candidates in American history.

Indeed, many considered the event to be the informal kickoff of the 2028…

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