{"id":2411869,"date":"2025-03-10T08:03:02","date_gmt":"2025-03-10T12:03:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/house-democrats-retreat-gives-glimpse-at-leadership-and-a-reset\/"},"modified":"2025-03-10T08:05:51","modified_gmt":"2025-03-10T12:05:51","slug":"house-democrats-retreat-gives-glimpse-at-leadership-and-a-reset","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/house-democrats-retreat-gives-glimpse-at-leadership-and-a-reset\/","title":{"rendered":"House Democrats retreat gives glimpse at leadership and a reset"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fhouse-democrats-retreat-gives-glimpse-at-leadership-and-a-reset%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2411869&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article discusses the current challenges facing House democrats as they approach an issues conference, \u200dfollowing a difficult \u2064week\u2064 that showcased their struggles in the political landscape.Amid criticisms for their response to President Trump&#8217;s address to Congress, Democrats are looking for a\u2063 reset and potential new \u2064leadership as they prepare for the 2028 elections. <\/p>\n<p>Key figures, including Democratic governors Gretchen Whitmer, Andy Beshear, and\u200d Josh Shapiro\u2014who govern states won by trump in the \u200dlast election\u2014are set to speak \u2063at the conference, sharing their insights on\u200c effective governance and how to resonate with voters. These governors, seen as future party leaders, boast high\u2062 approval ratings and\u2062 the \u2064potential to steer the party&#8217;s messaging beyond current legislative gridlock.<\/p>\n<p>however,\u2063 some House members express skepticism about the governors&#8217; effectiveness in addressing legislative matters. The Democrats face internal calls for reflection \u2063and a shift away from focusing solely \u200don social issues to\u200b better engage with \u2063broader voter\u2063 concerns,especially as their conventional messaging seems to falter. <\/p>\n<p>As the article concludes,\u2063 with looming deadlines for government funding and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-rejects-project-2025-due-to-potential-political-backlash-washington-examiner-8\/\" title=\"... rejects Project 2025 due to potential political backlash - Washington Examiner\">ongoing political\u2064 tensions<\/a>, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries \u200basserts that the party will push back against Republican narratives while reaffirming Democratic priorities.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">House Democrats retreat gives caucus first glimpse of future leadership &mdash; and chance for a reset<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2031851\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/house-democrats\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">House Democrats<\/a> are heading to their issues conference with their tails between their legs after a particularly chastening week that saw their &ldquo;resistance&rdquo; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/3339214\/white-house-rips-choose-your-fighter-video-aoc-crockett-cringe\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"efforts routinely mocked\">efforts routinely mocked<\/a> and one of their own <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/3339250\/al-green-censured-outburst-trump-joint-address\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"censured for his behavior\">censured for his behavior<\/a> during President Donald Trump&rsquo;s address to Congress.<\/p>\n<p>But the week offers a first proper glimpse of possible 2028 leaders who may be able to help drag Democrats out of the funk they&rsquo;ve been in since Trump&rsquo;s November win over then-Vice President Kamala Harris.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/3341948\/khanna-slams-democrats-behavior-trump-address\/\">Ro Khanna slams Democrats&#8217; behavior at Trump&#8217;s joint address: &#8216;Not a good look&#8217;<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/3341584\/house-gop-drops-clean-spending-bill-with-trump-blessing\/\">House GOP drops clean spending bill with Trump&#8217;s blessing days before government shutdown<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/3341110\/red-districts-beyond-dc-area-doge-cuts\/\">Congressional districts beyond the DC area expecting fallout from DOGE cuts<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>Leadership is turning to three Democratic governors of states won by Trump last fall: Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, Andy Beshear of Kentucky, and Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania. All three will speak at the issues retreat on &ldquo;their approaches to governing a state that President Trump carried in 2024.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Strategists think House Democrats can benefit from the governors&rsquo; expertise &mdash; especially Shapiro, one of the finalists for Harris&rsquo;s vice presidential pick &mdash; on how to avoid getting sucked into defending culture wars and GOP talking points.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;In D.C., it seems like we get caught up in these sort of conversations that end up with circular firing squads,&rdquo; Pennsylvania Democratic strategist Daniel Fee said in an interview with the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. &ldquo;And <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/governor\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">governors<\/a> really don&rsquo;t do a lot of that.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Governors give Democrats glimmer of hope<\/h2>\n<p>House lawmakers will meet at the Lansdowne Resort in Leesburg, Virginia, beginning on March 12 through March 14. In addition to the governors, Democrats will hear from bipartisan pollsters and policy and campaign messaging arms as the party seeks to retool its strategies to reach voters where they are in their lives.<\/p>\n<p>With former President Joe Biden bowing out as party leader last year and Harris viewing a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2025\/03\/07\/kamala-harris-california-governor-decision-deadline-00216737\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">run at California governor<\/a>, Republicans have been quick to blast Democrats for being &ldquo;in disarray&rdquo; and leaderless. Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) has said he <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/3339584\/jeffries-trump-wont-disorient-democrats\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">remains secure in his leadership<\/a>, but he has not made any indications he wants to seek a higher place in the party.<\/p>\n<p>Instead, eyes are on Beshear, Shapiro, and Whitmer as contenders for the 2028 presidential election. Democratic strategist Brad Bannon said the governors are the &ldquo;future of the party&rdquo; and can appeal to voters in ways members of Congress seeking higher office cannot.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Anybody who is serving in Washington, unfortunately, is tainted by voter distaste for Washington,&rdquo; Bannon said. &ldquo;So I think it&rsquo;s very wise for Democrats to feature the [governors] and the innovative programs they are undertaking in their home states to deal with important issues.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Beshear, Shapiro, and Whitmer have <a href=\"https:\/\/pro.morningconsult.com\/trackers\/governor-approval-ratings\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-will-deliver-first-speech-to-congress-in-nearly-empty-house-chamber\/\" title=\"Biden Will Deliver First Speech To ... In Nearly-Empty House Chamber\">high approval ratings<\/a><\/a>, with Beshear at 65% and both Whitmer and Shapiro at 56%. Beshear handily won reelection in 2023, in part by successfully distancing himself from Biden and his economic policies.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Shapiro, if he chooses to run for reelection, will be on the ballot in 2026. Whitmer, who was elected in 2020, will term out in 2026.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The Pennsylvania governor, in particular, has long been seen as a rising star in the Democratic Party. Many Democrats had hoped he would be picked for Harris&rsquo;s running mate as he could appeal to a centrist crowd that Harris&rsquo;s progressive policies sometimes alienated.<\/p>\n<p>Fee said Shapiro and other governors can avoid the &ldquo;performative&rdquo; nature that comes with national politics and instead focus on &ldquo;performance.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;That doesn&rsquo;t carry any weight in state governance, right? You can be for all kinds of things at the federal level, knowing full well that they&rsquo;re never going to happen,&rdquo; Fee said. &ldquo;When you&rsquo;re governor, people expect them to happen.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;What the governor can really talk about is the difference between performance and being performative,&rdquo; the strategist added.<\/p>\n<p>Shapiro, Beshear, and Whitmer can bring to the table the experience of being from states that are &ldquo;not necessarily friendly to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/Democrats\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Democrats<\/a>.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;They&rsquo;ve been able to win because they&rsquo;ve been focused on what actually matters to people, rather than getting caught up in conversations that matter &hellip; to members of the media and interest groups,&rdquo; Fee said.<\/p>\n<p>However, some House Democrats aren&rsquo;t sure how effective the governors will be for the caucus given the political climate on Capitol Hill. Instead, they argue the retreat is more of a platform to pitch their campaigns.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;They&rsquo;re preparing to run for president. I don&rsquo;t begrudge that,&rdquo; one House Democrat told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know what they&rsquo;re really bringing &mdash; it&rsquo;s a pretty deeply legislative moment, I don&rsquo;t know if this is really their cup of tea.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Don&rsquo;t get me wrong, anxious to hear from them, but I don&rsquo;t know that it&rsquo;s gonna be of the moment,&rdquo; the lawmaker added.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Democrats desperately need a reset <\/h2>\n<p>Following the 2024 election, many Democrats called for a reflection period. Some lawmakers blasted their own colleagues for caring too much about social issues, such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/transgender\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">transgender<\/a> rights.<\/p>\n<p>Now, Democrats need to rethink how they not only speak to kitchen-table issues but also maintain their progressive flank, which wants to see the party stand up for marginalized groups.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;What makes it so important that we protect people who are LGBTQ, disabled, different religions, different races, and all that, is because they are human beings. They are people who deserve respect. Instead, we focus on what makes us unique, rather than what the common elements among us: mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, parents, children,&rdquo; Fee said of Democrats&rsquo; messaging failures.<\/p>\n<p>Since the GOP trifecta took effect, however, Democrats have been eager to zero in on Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency as the agency works to overhaul and slash federal departments to downsize the government. Democrats&rsquo; main argument has centered on Musk being an unelected billionaire who is too close to taxpayers&rsquo; data and overextending his authority.<\/p>\n<p>They&rsquo;ve also tried to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/3334066\/democrats-economy-inflation-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">flip the narrative on the economy<\/a>, attacking Trump&rsquo;s plans for tariffs and accusing Republicans of not passing any legislation that will bring down inflation or lower taxes for everyday Americans. The budget reconciliation process has been one of the most volatile on Capitol Hill, and Democrats have repeatedly stated that the GOP&rsquo;s $2 trillion in proposed cuts could run right through Medicaid and other benefits.<\/p>\n<p>For some reason, their messaging is hitting flat. They most recently got <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/3339214\/white-house-rips-choose-your-fighter-video-aoc-crockett-cringe\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">blasted for a &ldquo;cringe&rdquo; viral TikTok<\/a> using the &ldquo;Choose Your Fighter&rdquo; trend, featuring several Democratic members of Congress, including Whip Katherine Clark (D-MA) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY).&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>DNC Chairman Ken Martin faced scrutiny when he released a <a href=\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Memo-Trumps-Project-2025-Labor-Impacts-Final-.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">five-page memo<\/a> attacking Trump&rsquo;s administration but failing to offer concrete ways for Democrats to push back &mdash; something the party has been desperately looking for since last November.<\/p>\n<p>In a post to X, Democrats released a crowded bullet-point post of their February accomplishments. That, too, was met with backlash as many <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/less-than-half-of-democrats-want-biden-to-run-in-2024-new-poll-finds\/\" title=\"Less Than Half Of ... Want Biden To Run In 2024, New Poll Finds\">social media users noted<\/a> that lengthy posts do not perform well with young viewers. So much so that content creators for the Democrats are now <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/paulinavevo\/status\/1896310343129059481?s=46\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">encouraging people to reach out<\/a> with comments and ideas.<\/p>\n<p>House Democrats will also be leaving for the retreat a week after several members of the party defied Jeffries&rsquo;s request for a &ldquo;dignified&rdquo; response to Trump&rsquo;s address. Rep. Al Green (D-TX) was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/3339250\/al-green-censured-outburst-trump-joint-address\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">censured<\/a> for his outburst during the president&rsquo;s speech, while other Democrats said their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/3337442\/democrat-protests-trump-address-defy-demand-dignified-response\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">colleagues&rsquo; antics<\/a> &ldquo;[don&rsquo;t] help us get the majority.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>If they leave on March 12 as promised, it will be either a day or hours after voting on a continuing resolution to keep the government from shutting down on March 14. Republicans have already ramped up their messaging on the CR, arguing that it is a &ldquo;clean&rdquo; <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">stopgap spending deal<\/a> and if Democrats decline to vote for it, they will carry the responsibility of letting funding expire.<\/p>\n<p>Jeffries has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/3339584\/jeffries-trump-wont-disorient-democrats\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">pushed back against<\/a> this notion, arguing that Republicans are distracting from the fact that they are not addressing the economy and recent court battles between states and the Trump administration.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/author\/rachel-schilke\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"><strong>DEMOCRATS MOUNT RESISTANCE TO GOP EFFORT TO KEEP GOVERNMENT OPEN<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This flood-the-zone strategy is designed to disorient people. I ain&rsquo;t going to be disoriented,&rdquo; Jeffries said, noting the White House is trying to create &ldquo;the appearance of inevitability.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m not going to be disoriented,&rdquo; Jeffries added. &ldquo;We are going to push back successfully, and the American people will win.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_2031851\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"2031851\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>House Democrats&#8217; retreat offers a look at future leaders and a chance to reset after a tough week marked by mockery of their &#8220;resistance&#8221; efforts and internal censure<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2648,"featured_media":2411870,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/AP25056684385737.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[33723,50402,9602,4158],"class_list":["post-2411869","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-house-democrats","tag-leadership-2","tag-retreat","tag-strategy"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/AP25056684385737.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2411869","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2648"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2411869"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2411869\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2411873,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2411869\/revisions\/2411873"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2411870"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2411869"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2411869"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2411869"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}