A pair of former Bernie Sanders advisers who plan to work on the 2028 presidential election are opening a new Democratic consulting firm.
Mark Longabaugh, a top strategist for Sanders’ 2016 campaign for the White House, and Joe Caiazzo, a senior state aide for both of Sanders’ presidential bids, are calling their new company 1788 Media. It will be based in Washington, D.C.
The launch, first reported by POLITICO, is the latest sign that Democrats are reorienting themselves in the second Trump era and beginning to chart a path back to power. The consultants are looking to help Democrats figure out the biggest conundrum currently facing the party: how to recapture working-class voters.
Longabaugh and Caiazzo said they are talking to potential clients eyeing House, Senate and gubernatorial races in the 2026 midterms. They also expect to be involved in the Democratic presidential primary in 2028.
The kickoff of the company underscores that a new generation of Democratic strategists are aiming to expand their influence. It is the second business to form after the top consulting firm Devine Mulvey Longabaugh, where Longabugh was a partner, recently closed up shop.
Longabaugh said “our principle is pretty simple — we work for the most progressive candidate who can win.”
“When you look at the election returns in 2024, clearly the Democratic Party suffered significant erosion among working-class voters,” he added. “We have worked for a host of economic progressive populists that know how to win those voters.”
Caiazzo said “we will not build a lasting Democratic majority until we win back working-class voters.”
In addition to Sanders, Longabaugh previously worked for several presidential campaigns and environmental groups. Caiazzo served as the 2018 campaign manager for Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) and a senior adviser for former Democratic Massachusetts Rep. Joe Kennedy’s unsuccessful Senate bid in 2020.
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