CNL Draws Hundreds of Young Center-Left Activists at New Liberal Action Summit

For Immediate Release
July 18, 2023

Hundreds of New Liberals from across the country joined New Democracy for its New Liberal Action Summit in Washington D.C. over the weekend.

Washington, DC – This past weekend, New Democracy and the Center for New Liberalism (CNL), hosted their second New Liberal Action Summit (NLAS). Hundreds of New Liberals from across the country attended the three day summit. Representatives Jeff Jackson (NC-14), Scott Peters (CA-50), Val Hoyle (OR-04), and Brad Schnieder (IL-10), as well as other leading voices from the Democratic Party’s center-left, spoke at the summit about the need to organize young center-left activists in support of a new, pragmatic approach to policy and realigning U.S. politics around a center-left majority.

NLAS D.C. kicked off on Thursday evening with an opening reception attended by nearly 200 New Liberals. Representative Scott Peters (CA-50) and Representative Jeff Jackson (NC-14) provided remarks, emphasizing the importance of having young advocates who can campaign for pragmatic policy goals — such as permitting reform — and develop a stronger message for the center-left that appeals to a majority of voters.

Representative Scott Peters (CA-50) speaking about permitting reform and pro-market policies at the NLAS DC Opening Reception

“When I approach legislation, I tell my staff, first figure out the right answer, then let's build the politics around it,” Representative Peters said at the opening reception. “But what we see again and again and again, is people stop finding the answer because they're scared of the politics. You need to build the politics for sanity around housing policy, around nuclear energy, around markets.”

Representative Jeff Jackson (NC-14) speaking at the NLAS DC Opening Reception

On Friday, attendees gathered for a series of policy-focused conversations, including a discussion about ideological caucuses and the importance of supporting moderate and center-left candidates, and tips for how New Liberals can take action in their communities. Speakers included Andy Flick, Executive Director of the New Democrat Coalition, Andy Lavigne, Executive Director of the Blue Dog Coalition, Kathryn Sorenson, Executive Director of the NewDem Action Fund, and Phil Gardner, Senior Advisor to Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez (WA-03), as well as leaders from local New Liberal chapters from across the country.

"The Center for New Liberalism and its extensive grassroots network is an invaluable resource for the New Democrat Coalition and our members," said Andy Flick, Executive Director of the New Democrat Coalition in the House of Representatives. "I was proud to participate in NLAS to share insight on the New Dems' work in the 118th Congress and discuss how we can accomplish our shared policy priorities.”

Representative Val Hoyle (OR-04) talking about her Registered Apprenticeship Model

After lunch, Representative Val Hoyle (OR-04) joined the New Liberals for a discussion about workforce development and supporting accountable pathways to ensure equal access to economic opportunity.

Representative Brad Schneider speaking at NLAS DC

Representative Brad Schneider (IL-10) closed out the policy programming at NLAS D.C. by speaking to the New Liberals about an agenda for a durable, center-left Democratic majority, and how the New Liberals can support this agenda and therefore a winning Democratic party.

The New Liberals at the Capitol before going to speak to their members of Congress

Additionally, CNL members visited Democratic member’s offices, including the offices of Representatives Brittany Pettersen (CO-07), Gregory Meeks (NY-05), Pat Ryan (NY-18), and Marc Veasey (TX-33), as well as sixteen other members’ offices to speak to their staff about who the New Liberals are, and the issues they care about. 

On Saturday, the New Liberals gathered at the New Democracy offices for a day of training on messaging and framing, organizing, and strategic planning for CNL chapters, critical now that they are officially a part of New Democracy and chapters will be directly involved in political action.

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Media contact – afox@newdemocracy.net