For Democratic Party, Embracing Libertarianism the Way Forward, Some Strategists Think

As the Democratic Party still struggles to rebuild after its landslide electoral loss last year, some strategists think they have a new way forward: embracing libertarianism.

At the 2025 Progressive Policy Institute conference, organizers gathered in Colorado with the hope of sending the state’s political model nationwide. According to Politico, “The Colorado Way” is a “marriage of political strategy and policy framing that Democrats have used to take over state government from the bottom up” by promoting progressive ideas as cost-saving instead of focusing on their social impact. Advocates believe that the Colorado Democratic Party’s centrist approach — or the perception of its supposed centrism — shifted the formerly red state blue.

About the Author

Benjamin Rothove

Benjamin Rothove is a student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and editor-in-chief of the Madison Federalist. He is a Campus Transparency Fellow at The Fund for American Studies and a Young Voices contributor. He was a 2025 National Review summer intern.

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As the Democratic Party still struggles to rebuild after its landslide electoral loss last year, some strategists think they have a new way forward: embracing libertarianism.

At the 2025 Progressive Policy Institute conference, organizers gathered in Colorado with the hope of sending the state’s political model nationwide. According to Politico, “The Colorado Way” is a “marriage of political strategy and policy framing that Democrats have used to take over state government from the bottom up” by promoting progressive ideas as cost-saving instead of focusing on their social impact. Advocates believe that the Colorado Democratic Party’s centrist approach — or the perception of its supposed centrism — shifted the formerly red state blue.

About the Author

Benjamin Rothove

Benjamin Rothove is a student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and editor-in-chief of the Madison Federalist. He is a Campus Transparency Fellow at The Fund for American Studies and a Young Voices contributor. He was a 2025 National Review summer intern.