Center for New Liberalism Hosts Most Ambitious New Liberal Action Summit Yet

Hundreds of New Liberals from across the nation and around the world gathered in Washington, DC for the fourth annual New Liberal Action Summit.

Washington, DC - The Center for New Liberalism hosted its fourth annual New Liberal Action Summit (NLAS) from October 19-21, bringing together hundreds of members from 17 states and 9 countries. In the wake of Democrats’ 2024 losses, this year’s summit focused on charting a bold, future-oriented vision for the party and the liberal movement. 

NLAS drew strong media attention this year. Several panels were broadcast nationally on C-SPAN, and The Dispatch published an in-depth feature highlighting the unique perspective CNL and the New Liberal Action Summit bring to the Democratic Party. The summit was also featured in Politico Playbook, SpaceNews, and Newsmax. 

The conference kicked off with a members-only welcome reception at Metrobar on Sunday evening, followed by a retreat on Monday at CNL headquarters. Senator John Hickenlooper’s campaign manager Justin Lamorte and Hillsborough County Commissioner Matt Hughes opened the day with a discussion on getting involved with local and state politics. The Progressive Policy Institute team led workshops on building relationships, and Gillian Pressman of YIMBY Action shared approaches to grassroots advocacy. The chapters then convened for a strategy session to discuss their short and long term goals.

Monday night’s opening reception drew over 200 attendees and featured remarks from CNL co-founder, Jeremiah Johnson, DC Councilmember Brooke Pinto, and Senator Doug Jones, followed by a live podcast recording with world-renowned political scientist Francis Fukuyama.

Tuesday’s main day summit at the Woolly Mammoth Theatre covered everything from energy abundance in the age of AI to space futurism, global liberalism, trade after Trump, rebuilding voter trust, and abundance. CNL Director Colin Mortimer opened the day with a conversation with Rep. James Walkinshaw (VA-11) and Biden 2020 Campaign Manager Greg Schultz on how Democrats can rebuild after the 2024 election.

From there, attendees had their choice of three morning sessions: 

There were three more policy panels following a break for lunch:

During the 2:00 PM slot, two panels rounded out the breakout sessions: 

The summit concluded in the theatre with a conversation on the abundance framework with Rep. Josh Harder (CA-09), Baillee Brown, Francis Fukuyama, and Rohan Patel, leading experts in the field. The panel captured the core theme of the summit: Democrats need to run on future-focused liberalism with a strong emphasis on innovation, growth, and economic opportunity. After the final panel, Tobin Stone delivered closing remarks before attendees gathered in the lobby for a closing reception.  

The 2025 New Liberal Action Summit was the most ambitious and successful gathering yet. After three days of lively policy discussions, organizing workshops, and strategy sessions, New Liberals are heading to the 2026 midterms ready to bring fresh ideas and forward momentum to the Democratic Party. 

About the Center for New Liberalism

The Center for New Liberalism is a digital-first grassroots organization dedicated to fighting for liberalism during the age when it is most under attack. Founded in 2017 as a hub for our grassroots movement of center-left activists from around the world, the organization has now expanded to over 50 chapters including 40+ chapters in the United States and more than a dozen chapters abroad.