Democrats are assembling a new policy brain trust called Project 2029, an effort aimed at shaping the party’s long-term vision and regaining electoral strength.
But at a time when there’s widespread agreement that Democrats need fresh ideas and new voices, the inclusion of longtime party insiders — especially former President Joe Biden’s national security advisor Jake Sullivan — is raising eyebrows across the political spectrum.
‘It’s really disappointing to see the lack of self-awareness on Jake’s part,’ said Brett Bruen, former director of global engagement in the Obama White House. ‘Having Jake involved, let alone leading this, will only lead to stupid, superficial changes.’
‘These Democratic leaders need to take a long look in the mirror and understand they played a big part in bringing this situation about — and exit stage left.’
Modeled in name and structure after the Heritage Foundation’s conservative Project 2025, Project 2029 brings together high-profile Democratic veterans to outline a policy road map. After a decade of standing more against President Donald Trump than for anything else, the group is dedicated to helping Democrats define the policies that can win the 2028 election.
The initiative, first reported by The New York Times, is led by longtime Democratic strategist Andrei Cherny and a cast of familiar faces — including Sullivan, Neera Tanden, Biden’s domestic policy advisor; Anne-Marie Slaughter, CEO of New America; Justin Wolfers, University of Michigan economist; Jim Kessler, co-founder of Third Way; and Felicia Wong , former president of the Roosevelt Institute.
But Sullivan’s role has drawn particular criticism from both Republicans and progressives.
Sullivan was Biden’s top advisor during the chaotic 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan, which resulted in the deaths of 13 U.S. service members. He reportedly offered to resign at the time once the evacuation didn’t go as planned.
He’s also drawn fire for the Biden administration’s failure to help Israel and Hamas reach a lasting ceasefire, and for its Ukraine policy — which, as one European diplomat told Fox News Digital, seemed aimed at letting Ukraine ‘lose slowly.’
‘Why isn’t Jake Sullivan working at Chipotle?’ quipped Steven Moore, founder of the Ukraine Freedom Project, on a podcast in 2024.
‘Jake in his position both as national security advisor and in Biden world is one of the last people on earth that should be involved in a reset for the Democratic Party,’ said Bruen.
Sullivan did not reply to a request for comment by Fox News Digital.
Zohran Momdani’s stunning upset in New York City’s mayoral primary over former Gov. Andrew Cuomo has reignited a debate over whether Democrats on a national level need to start taking progressivism seriously.
‘The people responsible for driving the Democratic Party into a ditch are now asking for the keys again,’ said Joseph Geevarghese, executive director of progressive group Our Revolution. ‘Leaders like Zohran Mamdani are showing what’s possible when you speak directly to working-class pain and stand up to entrenched power.’
Despite the criticism, some Democrats defend Sullivan’s role and believe he could help unify the party.
‘He’s a historic organizer of the diverse lanes of Democratic foreign policy, and he’s done a great job with it,’ said Joel Rubin, a former deputy assistant secretary of state and Democratic strategist. However, Rubin questioned how much real influence Project 2029 will have, especially with no clear 2028 front runner.
‘We’re going to have a wide-open primary,’ Rubin said. ‘Unlike Project 2025, where Republicans had a candidate-in-waiting in Trump, we have no standard-bearer. So Project 2029 is going to be one of many blueprints for what a Democratic administration should do.’
Some argue that figures like Sullivan are better suited to bridge the divide between establishment figures and progressives than any leftist leader.
‘He’s part of the old guard, but the old guard isn’t that old. There’s a lot of young people,’ one Democratic insider said. ‘You’d be hard-pressed to find people in the progressive lane pulling in establishment folks, whereas the establishment lane is working to pull in progressives.’
Sullivan’s GOP critics also point to his role in promoting now-debunked allegations during the 2016 election.
After a report from Slate claimed Trump Tower maintained a secret server communicating with Russia’s Alfa Bank, Sullivan — then a senior advisor to Hillary Clinton — amplified the claim.
‘This could be the most direct link yet between Donald Trump and Moscow,’ Sullivan said in a statement at the time. ‘This secret hotline may be the key to unlocking the mystery of Trump’s ties to Russia.’
Republicans later accused him of spreading unverified information and misleading the public.