NLAS 2026 in Review: CNL’s Largest Summit & Boldest Agenda
More New Liberals than ever before spent 3 days in Washington, DC, building the case for a more ambitious center-left at the 5th annual New Liberal Action Summit.
Earlier this month, we welcomed hundreds of New Liberals from 19 states and countries, including the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Chile, South Africa, Bangladesh, and more, to Washington, DC, for our 5th annual New Liberal Action Summit. We’re proud to say that it was the best summit we’ve put together yet – and our movement has never felt more alive.
NLAS 2026 started Wednesday, July 15th, when over 350 activists, policy enthusiasts, and pragmatists joined us for our opening reception in Navy Yard, featuring opening remarks from CNL Director Colin Mortimer and our friend Congressman Jake Auchincloss, who made the case that Democrats must confront affordability directly by building more housing and expanding access to healthcare.
Then, on Thursday, nearly 300 people joined us at Woolly Mammoth Theatre in Downtown DC for a full day of fireside chats and policy panels, featuring 40 elected officials and policy experts, who spoke on 14 different panels – a new record for us at NLAS. CNL Deputy Director Tobin Stone opened the day in conversation with Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO), who spoke about the current dysfunction in the Senate, Congress’s responsibility to invest in the next generation through stronger education and relief from the rising cost of childcare and housing, and the importance of making the positive and optimistic case for liberalism.
From there, the day kept on building. Former Senator Mary Landrieu and former Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter joined us for a conversation on energy policy while we hosted a discussion on the Mississippi Miracle that’s changing how we’re thinking about education policy in America right now. Tamar Jacoby of PPI dropped by for a fireside chat about what she’s seen on the ground in Ukraine over the past few years, while Colin Mortimer hosted a panel on how we can modernize the FDA.
We then welcomed Rep. Don Beyer for a conversation about his work on AI policy in Congress and Rep. Greg Landsman, who discussed his Our Great American Moment policy agenda. Right before lunch, we also hosted a live recording of Frank Fukuyama’s podcast, Frankly Fukuyama, featuring Rep. Josh Harder, chair of the Build America Caucus.
After lunch, we kicked off the afternoon with Rep. Jennifer McClellan, who discussed how we can change people’s perception of the historic infrastructure investments that Democrats have delivered on – while PPI’s Jordan Weissmann led a panel of experts in laying out a fiscal vision that is both responsible and something that we can sell to voters. We then welcomed Rep. Laura Friedman, who made the case for rebuilding America’s capacity to invest in science, while Rep. Ritchie Torres spoke with Baillee Brown of Inclusive Abundance about how we can turn the abundance agenda from a policy discussion among DC’s elites into real economic opportunity for working people.
We closed things out on Thursday with two important discussions. Colin Mortimer moderated a panel featuring Rini Sampath, Paul Weinstein Jr. and Robert Gordon on how Democrats and the center-left can reclaim government efficiency after the mistakes of DOGE. And finally, New Democrat Coalition Chair Rep. Brad Schneider and Vice Chair Rep. Nikki Budzinski joined PPI’s Stu Malec to discuss the work the New Dems are doing heading into the midterm elections. Colin closed out the day with brief remarks, before everyone continued the conversation over drinks at the evening reception.
On Friday, we wrapped things up with something that always makes NLAS special – our annual Members’ Retreat, a full day of trainings and sessions for our dues-paying members and chapter leads. We opened the morning on Friday with a writing workshop led by Jordan Weissmann, who taught members how to write op-ed pitches that catch the attention of editors, followed by a working lunch where members continued to think through these ideas.
After lunch, our chapter leads took the stage to discuss some of the work they’ve been doing. Steering Committee Chair Tyler Laferriere-Holloway of the LA New Liberals presented our 2026 Impact Report, showcasing a year of new chapters, new events, new members, and serious social media growth. Chapter leads from Chicago, the Bay Area, and Seattle shared how book clubs and discussion groups have widened their reach, while our Phoenix and Denver leads offered advice on building relationships with candidates and local Democratic parties. Karl Nielsen of the DMV New Liberals closed out the session by walking through his chapter’s candidate endorsement process. We wrapped up the retreat with a chapter planning session, giving everyone time to reflect on the past year and map out how they’ll keep growing the movement in the year ahead.
The 2026 New Liberal Action Summit was CNL’s largest yet. Hundreds of New Liberals went home with new ideas, new connections, and a plan for their chapters to make a difference in this year’s midterms, and we can’t wait to see what they build. While others continue to defend the status quo, the New Liberals are more ready than ever to fight for more economic opportunity, and an optimistic vision for the future.
NLAS 2026 was a blast. We’re grateful to everyone that came, and we can’t wait to see even more of you next year.