Some Democrats are looking to create a new think tank in an effort to urge the Democratic Party to promote more popular political positions, Politico first reported on Tuesday.
During a private meeting with several Democratic donors and leaders in April, Adam Jentleson — who had previously served as chief of staff to Democratic Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman and a top aide to former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid — pitched an idea to establish a new think tank called Searchlight, according to Politico. The think tank’s goal would be to encourage the Democratic Party to refocus on positions that are viewed as more widely popular among Americans ahead of the 2028 presidential election, five anonymous sources told Politico.
Seth London, who serves as an adviser to major Democratic donors, is working on the effort alongside Jentleson, according to Politico. The report comes as the Democratic Party is strategizing on how best to reconnect with voters they lost in the 2024 election cycle.
“Voters do not break down among the perceived ideological lines that a lot of Democrats are drawn into by the interest groups,” one anonymous source told Politico. “The machinations of the party force people into boxes, and if this is a vehicle to get those new ideas out there, outside those lanes that automatically limit the breadth of voters you’re able to reach, then I think a lot of people would welcome that.”
Another anonymous Democratic donor adviser who heard Jentleson’s pitch told Politico that the effort is part of an attempt to encourage the Democratic Party to have “a moderate voice” and move away from “woke, identity politics.”
“They’re saying, ‘we need a moderate voice, because we’re losing everyone and we have to come back to the center and get away from woke, identity politics,’” the anonymous source told Politico. “They want to become a research and communications hub for that, which is great, but we already have a bunch of entities who do that.”
Some Democratic leaders have publicly criticized their own party’s approach to key political issues in the aftermath of the Republican Party winning the White House, the Senate and the House in the 2024 election cycle. Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said in March that he believes Democrats have allowed the GOP to “define the issue” on issues such as immigration and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).
Rahm Emanuel, an ex-Obama White House chief of staff and potential 2028 presidential candidate, in May referred to the Democratic Party’s current brand as “weak and woke.”
Jentleson could not immediately be reached for comment by the Daily Caller News Foundation.
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.
