Democratic National Committee members gathered in Los Angeles for their annual winter meeting with a noticeably brighter outlook following strong off-year election results, even as financial strains and internal debates continue to weigh on the party.
Democratic National Committee members met in Los Angeles this week for their annual winter gathering, with many activists and officials describing a more upbeat mood than earlier in the year. The shift follows a string of 2025 off-year election wins, including double-digit Democratic victories in gubernatorial contests in New Jersey and Virginia and overperformances in various down‑ballot races compared with the party’s 2024 showings.
Those results also included Democrats’ success in Mississippi legislative elections, where gains in state Senate races ended the GOP’s supermajority, limiting Republicans’ ability to advance measures on a strictly party‑line basis, according to multiple news accounts.
California Governor Gavin Newsom, widely viewed as a likely contender in the 2028 presidential primary, was a major draw at the Los Angeles meeting, with delegates lining up for selfies as he moved through the convention space.
Former Vice President Kamala Harris also addressed the gathering on Friday, emphasizing the economic pressures facing voters and the need for Democrats to speak candidly about those challenges. In her remarks, reported by Fox News and Yahoo News, she said, “We must be honest that for so many, the American dream has become more of a myth than a reality,” tying that message to what she called an affordability crisis.
DNC Chair Ken Martin leaned into the same theme earlier in the day, arguing that the party must show voters it understands the strain of rising costs. In a speech covered by Yahoo News, he bluntly summarized the situation by saying that “s— is too expensive” and blamed President Donald Trump’s tariffs and policies for worsening the economic climate.
The more optimistic tone at the gathering has been tempered by concerns over money and strategy. Federal Election Commission filings and recent reporting have highlighted that the DNC has taken on new debt and continues to lag the Republican National Committee in cash on hand, raising questions among some members about the party’s financial footing heading into the 2026 midterms.
Harris used her speech to argue that Democrats must chart a vision not only for the next election cycle but for the post‑Trump era, saying the party needs to answer "what comes next for our party and our democracy" and warning that Trump and the MAGA movement are symptoms of a broader, long‑running economic and political system that many voters see as failing them.
Alongside the general session speeches, DNC committees met to take up rules, party business and long‑term planning. Members and operatives say jockeying is expected to intensify in the coming months over the 2028 presidential primary calendar, as states quietly position themselves for coveted early‑voting slots that can boost their influence in selecting the nominee.
Despite the unresolved questions on fundraising and internal debates, party leaders left Los Angeles insisting that the recent statewide and local gains — particularly in New Jersey, Virginia and Mississippi — show they have momentum heading into 2026, even as they acknowledge that those contests are more than a year away and will test whether the current optimism can endure.
