Democrats are taking a page from the conservative playbook.
A new initiative, dubbed Project 2029, is rolling out an ambitious policy agenda designed to give the party a ready-made governing blueprint if Democrats reclaim the White House in the 2028 election — mirroring the role the Heritage Foundation-backed Project 2025 played for Republicans ahead of President Trump’s return to office.
The effort comes as Democrats continue searching for a unified message after the 2024 election, and months of infighting over how to respond to Trump’s second term. The organizers say their goal is simple: stop running solely against Trump and start offering voters a concrete vision of what Dems should do instead.
“Our mission for whoever’s running for president in 2028 is to have a shelf of big ideas they can draw from as they’re putting forward their vision,” a Project 2029 spokesperson told The Post.
Over the past year, organizers say they’ve talked to leaders on Capitol Hill, think tanks, private-sector leaders and potential presidential hopefuls to assemble a governing agenda that they will continue to roll out over the next year.
Project 2029 bills itself as a framework to “give Americans the future they deserve,” by tackling affordability, child care, technology and government inefficiency through a mix of executive and legislative action.
The effort resembles a response to Project 2025, the conservative governing blueprint assembled by more than 100 organizations before Trump’s second return to office.
While Trump publicly distanced himself from the project, the Center for Progressive Reform reported that as of February, 53% of Project 2025’s policy agenda has been initiated by the administration.
Rather than centering the Dems’ next presidential campaign on opposition to Trump alone, Project 2029 organizers argue that the party needs a governing agenda all voters can rally around.
“Opposition and resistance to bad ideas is important, but it’s not enough,” the spokesperson said. “You have to have an alternative, and Americans are looking for a governing vision when it comes to big challenges.”
The group’s first proposal, “Kids over Clicks,” details a roadmap on how to combat social media and artificial intelligence for kids.
Among its recommendations are banning children under 16 from accessing what it describes as “addictive apps,” requiring privacy protections by default, regulating AI chatbots used by minors, banning cellphones during the school day and ending surveillance advertising aimed at teenagers.
Another proposal targets what organizers call the “annoyance economy” — the flood of robocalls, spam texts, junk fees and frustrating customer-service hurdles Americans deal with every day.
Executive founder Chad Maisel estimates these annoyances cost American families “at least $165 billion” worth of time and money every year.
The plan proposes tougher enforcement against scam calls, simpler online insurance claims and new regulations designed to make dealing with companies “less frustrating.”
The third proposal would dramatically expand child care assistance by guaranteeing either free child care or a monthly $1,000 cash benefit for families that choose to have a parent or caregiver stay home with children instead.
Project 2029 argues the two-track approach would give parents greater flexibility while easing one of the “biggest financial burdens facing young families.”
The rollout comes as Democrats remain divided heading into the 2026 midterms and a wide-open field of 2028 prospects.
According to the recent Center Square Voters’ Voice Poll, former Vice President Kamala Harris is the clear favorite among Democratic Voters. Trailing behind her are California Gov. Gavin Newsom, former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY).
Not everyone is convinced Project 2029 will become the Democrats’ version of Project 2025.
Political strategist Max Burns told Newsweek the new effort lacks the ideological clarity that helped make the conservative blueprint so influential.
“Project 2025 was an undeniably and unapologetically far-right document,” Burns said. By comparison, he argued that Project 2029 risks becoming “a jumble of second-string policy ideas” that doesn’t clearly define the movement it hopes to lead.
“Like the Democratic Party itself, Project 2029 is so reluctant to stake an ideological claim that it ends up not really standing for anything,” he added.
Still, organizers insist the project is intended to unite Democrats around practical solutions rather than partisan loyalty tests — and provide the next Democratic nominee with a ready-made governing agenda on day one.
“We’re really focused on what are the issues that are confronting Americans, and looking for bold ideas to tackle them,” the Project 2029 spokesperson said.
