Since the 2024 election, Democrats have struggled to grapple with the reasons for their loss to Donald Trump and show voters they’re willing to adapt. Rather, many party members have done the opposite: carry on as usual and reject the idea that they should chart a new course.

First, there was the party’s new chairman, Ken Martin, who claimed, “Anyone saying we need to start over with a new message is wrong. We got the right message.” Then there were other prominent party figures, including Biden himself, who chalked up Harris’s loss to sexism, which vastly oversimplifies things. Few were willing to take any accountability whatsoever.

The reality is that many of the Democrats’ leaders don’t seem keen on rocking the boat or offering voters a new way forward at the moment — certainly not Martin, Hakeem Jeffries, or Chuck Schumer. But there are some signs that at least a handful of the party’s prospective 2028 candidates are rethinking things.

The most obvious example is California Governor Gavin Newsom. Since the election, Newsom, a longtime liberal stalwart, has made deliberate moves to disassociate himself from the party’s Left flank. In the last week, he has called on California cities to begin cracking down on homeless encampments, saying there are “no more excuses” for failing to act. He also announced a budget proposal that, among other things, scales back a free healthcare programme for illegal immigrants. This is especially notable as immigration continues to be the issue on which voters trust Trump most.

In addition to Newsom, another high-profile Democrat is also beginning to exhibit some contrition about his party’s record: 2020 presidential candidate and former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. Buttigieg gave Democrats some tough love for their approach to questions of diversity, saying it had almost certainly pushed some voters toward Trump. He asked whether caring about diversity means “making people sit through training that looks like something out of Portlandia, which I have also experienced.” This week, he also hinted at breaking from his old boss, President Biden, saying “maybe” when asked if Biden’s re-election bid hurt the party — a small but notable move for a former cabinet official.

Other possible 2028 contenders have made similar moves. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro offered a budget with sweeping tax cuts to make Pennsylvania a more attractive place for businesses to invest. Meanwhile, US Senator Ruben Gallego, who has previously admonished Democrats for using terms like “Latinx,” co-sponsored the Laken Riley Act and has recently criticised members of his party who refuse to associate with anyone from MAGA world as too “pure.”

The truth is that the Democrats’ base is unlikely to defect — even if party leaders shift toward the centre — because they’ll still turn out to check Trump and Republican power. There are already signs in off-year elections that Democrats have a big turnout advantage over Republicans that will likely carry over into next year’s midterms (along with a boost that the “out party” generally receives in midterm elections). However, if the party wants to reclaim the voters it has lost in recent elections — and extend its appeal to independents and moderates — moving back to the centre is a positive step. These voters were pivotal to Trump winning back the White House in 2024 and they are the ones Democrats must keep top of mind as they debate where they should go from here.

We may not have an answer to which direction the Democrats decide to take until the end of the 2028 primary process. But there are early signs that at least some in the party are ready to learn from the mistakes of 2024 and move it in a new direction.

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Michael Baharaeen is chief political analyst at The Liberal Patriot substack.

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