After raising over $900 million to support Vice President Kamala Harris’s unsuccessful 2024 presidential campaign, Democratic super PAC Future Forward has largely remained out of the spotlight. But a private retreat this week at the Ritz-Carlton resort south of San Francisco signaled that the group has no intention of fading quietly.
The gathering drew top Democratic donors, party strategists, and future presidential hopefuls including California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear. Behind closed doors, attendees dissected what went wrong in 2024 — and what the party must do moving forward.
Future Forward’s president, Chauncey McLean, acknowledged criticism that the group was overly reliant on polling and data models. “Those are all just fancy ways of saying we listen to voters,” he told donors during a Thursday evening session featuring gourmet fare like lobster rolls and seared sea bass.
The group’s role in Harris’s loss has been a sore spot, with some Democrats privately blaming its delayed ad strategy and limited outreach to Black and Latino voters. Harris allies, including veteran Democratic strategist Minyon Moore, were present as Future Forward leaders defended their approach, noting that 96.3% of spending went directly to advertising and that their nonprofit arm gave $220 million to progressive groups.
The event’s agenda included strategy sessions, a live focus group from a competitive California district, and remarks from figures such as Sen. Amy Klobuchar and former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel. Guests included donors who had contributed more than $250 million to the group in the last cycle.
Despite internal party skepticism, Future Forward is actively positioning itself for the future. Since its founding in 2018, the group has raised $1.4 billion and hopes to remain a key player — potentially even for the 2028 presidential race.
“The best way to stop Donald Trump at the federal level is to win control of the House of Representatives in 2026,” read one line from the conference materials — a clear signal that Future Forward sees the battle as far from over.
