Can These Democrats Make Combative Centrism Happen for 2028 Election?

Advertisement SKIP ADVERTISEMENT Newsletter On Politics Can These Democrats Make Combative Centrism Happen? Third Way, the moderate Democratic advocacy group and think tank, has an expansive and expensive plan to shape the 2028 presidential campaign. Share full article By Katie Glueck March 2, 2026, 8:34 p.m. ET There is a strain of thinking about Democratic politics that goes like this: At a moment of fury and frustration across the country, voters want fierce, populist, anti-establishment fighters who can channel the public’s anger into action. That may not be exactly what you think of when you imagine the standard centrist politician. But some Democrats — already gaming out how to regain power in the 2028 presidential election — have other theories about how to win. And they insist that moderate does not need to mean milquetoast. “21st-century moderates aren’t tepid, timid throwbacks,” declared Jon Cowan , president of the advocacy group and think tank Third Way, as he kicked off a Democratic strategy summit, called “Winning the Middle,” in Charleston, S.C. yesterday. Instead, he said, moderates today are “combative, democracy-defending, swing-vote-winning, big-idea-generating,” get-things-done centrists. Third Way has expansive — and expensive — ambitions to shape the 2028 presidential campaign, including with events like this one, which drew political strategists, local elected officials from battleground states and advisers to prominent national Democrats. I sat down with Cowan on the sidelines of the gathering, held at a historic hotel in downtown Charleston known for its She-Crab soup , to hear about an effort that he estimated could cost between $30 million and $50 million between now and 2028. Below are edited and condensed excerpts from our conversation: Katie Glueck: Third Way is planning on taking a pretty muscular approach to 2028, right? Jon Cowan: Third Way is going to lead the effort in 2028 to help nominate someone who is more moderate and mainstre...