Updated

Democrats gathered in Denver for a two-day post-midterms What's Next conference, debating the party's future with unusual optimism after a strong election, the Associated Press reported. Speakers discussed a possible 60-seat Senate majority and a landslide presidential win, with Pete Buttigieg, Josh Shapiro, Cory Booker and Hakeem Jeffries among attendees. The party's wins included virtually every contested race, flips of U.S. Senate seats in Mississippi and South Carolina, a Texas shift to blue, and large House majorities. Some warned voters were turning to Democrats out of frustration over prices, the Iran war and corruption concerns, and no clear plan emerged to address affordability. Protesters from the Sunrise Movement criticized the centrist sponsor, and Chris Van Hollen, challenging Chuck Schumer for leadership, argued voters demanded change. Booker called the leadership fight a family conversation.