Democrats are taking a page from the conservative playbook.

A group of leading Democratic Party thinkers is beginning to collaborate on a policy agenda for their eventual presidential nominee in the 2028 election cycle. 

And, as first reported by the New York Times, they’re calling it Project 2029. It’s an obvious play on the notorious Project 2025, the more than 900-page policy blueprint assembled by the conservative powerhouse Heritage Foundation think tank for the Republican Party’s 2024 presidential nominee.

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Democrats repeatedly attacked Project 2025 during the previous White House race as a far-right threat to the nation. Then-GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump and his campaign distanced themselves from the document, even as many Trump allies helped draft it. 

But Trump, during the opening months of his second tour of duty in the White House, executed much of what was proposed in Project 2025. And Russell T. Vought, who was a key member of the team that produced the document, now leads the Office of Management and Budget.

Russell T. Vought, a key member of the team that produced Project 2025, now leads the Office of Management and Budget. (Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)

The Democrats behind Project 2029 hope to rally White House hopefuls behind their policy framework as the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination race heats up following the 2026 midterm elections.

The project is being spearheaded by Andrei Cherny, a onetime Democratic speechwriter and state party leader.

«Avengers… Assemble!» he wrote in a social media post, as he spotlighted the New York Times story on Project 2029.

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Democrats are aiming to escape the political wilderness following 2024 election setbacks, when the party lost control of the White House and the Senate, and failed to win back the House majority. And 2025 polls have indicated the Democratic Party brand sinking to new lows.

«After several Democratic presidential runs that featured the old guard, there is a hunger for the next generation of candidates and ideas,» Jim Kessler, executive vice president for policy at the center-left Third Way, told Fox News.

Kessler, who’s involved with the project, added that the effort «is a chance for those candidates to see and test out new policy ideas. The advisory group runs the gamut of the Democratic ideological perspective, so these new ideas may not bring a consensus, but it can act as a showroom for presidential candidates to test drive.»

The Democrats are aiming to escape the political wilderness following setbacks in the 2024 elections, when they lost control of the White House and Senate, and fell short in their bid to recapture the House majority. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)

Veteran Democratic strategist James Carville, asked about Project 2029, welcomed more ideas to the party’s conversation.

But Carville told Fox News Digital that «the person Democrats need to look to, whose ideas will count, is the next presidential nominee. People can throw ideas out and the different candidates can respond in one way or another, but the idea that a political party can develop a message outside of having some power – it’s been done before, but it’s quite difficult.»

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Word of Project 2029 comes amid continued divisions in the Democratic Party between its establishment and progressive wins.

And it comes as the stunning victory in the New York City Democratic mayoral primary by outsider and 33-year-old democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani over former three-term Gov. Andrew Cuomo has reignited the party’s argument over whether the Democrats’ problem is their policy or their messaging.

Iran’s foreign minister is vowing that «the doors of diplomacy will never slam shut» following the Trump administration’s airstrikes — a statement an Iran expert says shows that Tehran is trying to buy time. 

Abbas Araghchi was quoted as making the remark to CBS News after President Donald Trump told reporters last Wednesday that the U.S. would meet with Iranian officials this week. 

«I don’t think negotiations will restart as quickly as that,» Araghchi added. «In order for us to decide to reengage, we will have to first ensure that America will not revert back to targeting us in a military attack during the negotiations. And I think with all these considerations, we still need more time.»  

Behnam Ben Taleblu, the senior director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies Iran Program, told Fox News Digital on Tuesday that «Tehran’s strongest weapon when it is weak is actually diplomacy. 

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«Negotiating to buy time and bail out the regime is an art form for Iranian political elites. Even when done from a position of weakness, one reason Tehran will not shut the door on talks is because it seeks to prevent widening military action from stiffening the spine of domestic dissidents at home. 

«No doubt, the Islamic Republic will cause a ruckus about engaging in negotiations post-strike, but ultimately agreeing to talk when it has been conventionally bested on the battlefield does mean its mission accomplished,» Taleblu added. 

The State Department did not immediately respond Tuesday to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.

Trump said following the conclusion of a NATO summit in the Netherlands last week that «I could get a statement» that Iran is «not going to go nuclear.» 

«We’re probably going to ask for that… but they’re not going to be doing it anyway. They’ve had it,» Trump added.  

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stands waiting to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin for the talks at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, on Monday, June 23, 2025. (Alexander Kazakov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

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«We’re going to talk to them next week, with Iran. We may sign an agreement, I don’t know. To me, I don’t think it’s that necessary. I mean, they had a war. They fought. Now they’re going back to their world. I don’t care if I have an agreement or not. The only thing we would be asking for is what we’re asking for before about, we want no nuclear [program]. But we destroyed the nuclear,» Trump also said.  

«If we got a document, it wouldn’t be bad. We’re going to meet with them. Actually, we’re going to meet with them,» the president continued. 

However, Trump then wrote on Truth Social Monday that he is not talking to Iran. 

New high-resolution photos show significant damage to Iran’s Fordow nuclear site after recent Israeli and U.S. airstrikes, with visible destruction to tunnels and access roads. (Maxar Technologies)

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«The administration and namely our special envoy, Steve Witkoff, has been in communication both directly and indirectly with the Iranians. That communication continues. The president himself has not talked to Iran, which he pointed out in his Truth statement,» White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt added later Monday. 

La transformación social no siempre nace de grandes discursos ni de políticas de alto perfil. En muchas comunidades, especialmente en contextos rurales, el verdadero cambio comienza cuando las personas recuperan la confianza en sí mismas y en los demás. El desarrollo personal colectivo —una práctica que integra lo emocional, lo educativo y lo relacional— se ha consolidado como una vía efectiva para regenerar el tejido social desde adentro.

Diversos programas en México han demostrado que trabajar con familias, escuelas y jóvenes de manera integrada permite reducir conflictos, fortalecer vínculos y abrir nuevas posibilidades para construir un futuro común. Este enfoque, centrado en las personas, empieza a consolidarse como una alternativa real y sostenible para la transformación comunitaria.

Este 27 de junio, la comunidad de José María Morelos, en el estado de Jalisco, fue escenario de una celebración que marcó un antes y un después. Más de 400 personas participaron en el evento “Descúbrete – Abundancia”, organizado por la Fundación Xala, donde se compartieron aprendizajes, avances y experiencias tras dos años de trabajo sostenido en el territorio.

La jornada tuvo lugar en Campestre Las Parotas, y congregó a estudiantes, padres de familia, docentes, autoridades educativas y representantes de la fundación, con la presencia de su directora, Ceci Paredes, quien dio la bienvenida.

Desde inicios de 2023, Fundación Xala había implementado en esta comunidad el programa “Descúbrete”, una propuesta que integró talleres socioemocionales, prácticas saludables en escuelas y participación activa de las familias. El impacto no solo fue emocional y relacional, sino que se evidenció en resultados medibles: se eliminaron los casos de autolesiones escolares, disminuyó el acoso, mejoró el rendimiento académico y se consolidaron hábitos de vida saludable.

A diferencia de enfoques convencionales, “Descúbrete” no se presentó como una intervención externa, sino como un proceso arraigado en la vida cotidiana de la comunidad, con actividades diseñadas para reconstruir la confianza y fortalecer los vínculos entre los actores escolares y familiares.

“La transformación es posible cuando se invierte en las personas”, sostuvo Ceci Paredes, al reflexionar sobre los logros del programa. Para la fundación, este proceso dejó en claro que las soluciones sostenibles emergen cuando las comunidades recuperan la fe en sí mismas y disponen de espacios seguros para reinventarse.

“Descúbrete” se inscribe en una visión más amplia que la Fundación Xala articula con otras estrategias de desarrollo comunitario en la región. En línea con los principios de la Nueva Escuela Mexicana, el programa busca fortalecer entornos educativos inclusivos, promover la salud mental desde la infancia y lograr que las familias se involucren activamente en el proceso educativo.

Si bien el evento de José María Morelos celebró el cierre de una etapa, también abrió puertas a nuevas fases. Para la fundación, lo vivido en esta comunidad funciona como prueba de concepto para escalar el modelo a otros territorios, siempre desde un enfoque de corresponsabilidad con actores locales.

La meta no es replicar mecánicamente, sino compartir metodologías que puedan inspirar a otras comunidades a iniciar sus propios procesos de transformación. Porque si algo demuestra el trabajo de estos últimos dos años es que los cambios más duraderos no vienen desde afuera ni desde arriba: nacen cuando las personas recuperan la capacidad de imaginar un futuro diferente, y se sienten acompañadas para construirlo.

Si deseas conocer más sobre este proyecto: Fundación Xala | Xala