Democratic donors to meet to plot ways forward under Trump
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Big-dollar Democratic contributors have been despondent and adrift since Donald Trump’s triumph in November.
PHOTO: NYTIMES
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WASHINGTON – A group of wealthy Democratic donors will gather in early 2025 to try to figure out how the party can recover from President-elect Donald Trump’s victory and extricate itself from the liberal malaise of his looming second term.
Big-dollar Democratic contributors have been despondent and adrift since Trump’s triumph in November
But the liberal group American Bridge plans to bring together dozens of donors at a luxury hotel in Palm Beach, Florida, from Jan 31 to Feb 3, according to Ms Alexandra De Luca, a spokeswoman for the organisation.
American Bridge, which includes a super political action committee and several non-profit groups, is one of the leading networks of liberal donors that have arisen since a landmark Supreme Court ruling in 2010, known as Citizens United, that allowed unlimited corporate spending in elections.
The group estimates that it raised about US$150 million (S$202 million) overall during the 2024 election cycle.
About 150 donors or prospective donors are expected to attend the gathering, now in its seventh iteration and rechristened as “Democracy Matters”.
Attendees will hear from elected officials, particularly those who have won difficult races, the group said.
“This was a close election, and we lost. But we can’t just move on without identifying what we as a party failed at, addressing solutions and forging ahead,” said Mr Bradley Beychok, the group’s president. “Our job is to analyse a 360-degree view of last November and offer solutions to help address and solve for the challenges that lie ahead.”
Speakers will include Mr Mitch Landrieu, a former Biden administration official who also served as mayor of New Orleans; Ms Heather Cox Richardson, a historian and popular newsletter writer; Mr Douglas Brinkley, a presidential historian; Mr John Della Volpe, a top Democratic pollster; Ms Jennifer Rubin, an opinion columnist at The Washington Post; and Mr John Harwood, a journalist who has worked for CNBC, CNN and The New York Times.
The American Bridge network was founded by Mr David Brock, a former conservative journalist who has become a leading Democratic fund-raiser and adviser to major donors.
With the Democratic fund-raising world still in turmoil after Vice-President Kamala Harris’ defeat, part of what the party’s big donors have been debating is whether they should try to rejig their universe to better prepare for the 2026 and 2028 elections. NYTIMES
