Centrist Democrats are trying to replicate the movement politics that drive the progressive wing of the party, but it’s not clear that the party’s moderates — boosted by billionaire donors — can build the same sort of grassroots support that has driven more left-wing campaigns.
A political consultant and co-founder of the Welcome Party, Lauren Harper Pope, told Salon that “WelcomeFest,” kicking off Wednesday in Washington, D.C., is the “largest public gathering of centrist Democrats.” The goal, she said, is to seek “advice from Democrats who overperformed this cycle” and discuss "what it means to be a partisan centrist."
