The Washington Free Beacon was denied press credentials to a political summit in Denver featuring some of the Democratic Party's rumored 2028 presidential candidates, including former transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg, Georgia senator Raphael Warnock, and California congressman Ro Khanna.
The two-day event, dubbed What's Next and hosted by the super PAC Majority Democrats, bills itself as "the major post-election gathering of the Democratic Party, where the leaders, ideas, and debates that will shape the party through 2028 and beyond take center stage." It aims to tackle questions like "How can the disparate wings of the Democratic Party come together to win elections?" and "Why now?"
Other featured speakers include House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries, Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro, and former attorney general Eric Holder. Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer is not listed, but Maryland senator Chris Van Hollen, who could replace Schumer at the helm of the Senate Democratic caucus, is. Also named is Morris Katz, the nepo-baby strategist who recruited accused rapist Graham Platner to run for Senate in Maine.
Days after repeatedly requesting press credentials, the Free Beacon was blind-copied on a generic denial email.
"Thank you for your interest in covering What's Next. We appreciate your interest in the event. Unfortunately, we are unable to accommodate your request for media credentials at this time," the email read. It was signed "Majority Democrats."
In response to a follow-up email from the Free Beacon, an unnamed spokesman offered a link to the livestream—without providing a schedule. "We're at capacity and unfortunately could not accommodate your request for credentials due to space constraints," the spokesman wrote. "This was the case for many outlets due to overwhelming interest."
A journalist with the left-wing Intercept, however, was granted entry several days after complaining about her denial. The Majority Democrats spokesman didn't respond to an email asking for an explanation.
Another left-wing outlet wasn't as fortunate. Former Bernie Sanders speechwriter David Sirota's The Lever was also denied entry.
"Top Dems are heading to a conference with a shadowy billionaire front group @MajorityDems—and the group is now barring access to @LeverNews reporters as punishment for our investigative series exposing the group's funders," Sirota posted to X. He claimed that smaller news outlets had been granted access.
Sirota called the denial "clear retribution," pointing to The Lever's reporting on Majority Democrats' billionaire donors. He said The Lever is sending reporters anyway.
"@MajorityDems is trying to send a message not just to us, but to all news outlets warning them that they will be punished for critical coverage," Sirota wrote.
The summit was announced well before Democrats took both chambers of Congress. The so-called blue tsunami has emboldened the party's socialist wing, threatening promotions to the top slots for both Jeffries in the House and Schumer in the Senate. What's Next's website says the summit will feature "debates between competing visions for the party's future," though none of the socialists elected to Congress, like Denver's own Melat Kiros, are listed as speakers.
The summit could also serve as a preview of the 2028 Democratic National Convention. Denver is one of three finalists, and the What's Next website explains that it picked the Mile High City because of Colorado's shift from "reliably red to purple to blue" over a 20-year period. Denver's Mike Johnston is one of just a handful of mayors named on the summit's bill, and the chief executives from the other two finalists, Philadelphia and Boston, are not listed.
