A new nonprofit tied to the center-left 'Abundance' movement is assembling a 2028 policy agenda focused on deregulation in areas Democrats see as politically weak. The group, called the Inclusive Abundance Initiative, aims to challenge rules its backers say have undermined party efforts on health care, housing, energy, and immigration for skilled workers. Its political action committee will fund policy papers across those subjects this year.
The effort places the organization among several left-leaning groups already sparring over what a future Democratic administration should prioritize — and whom it should hire. Pro-Abundance forces have become key players in pushing the party to address policies they believe have hurt its brand at the ballot box. Critics on the left, however, view the movement as a cover for big corporations to dodge necessary regulation.
The founder, Derek Kaufman — a philanthropist and former executive at J.P. Morgan Chase and Citadel who launched the nonprofit in 2023 — framed the timing as crucial. "The next two years will be full of debates about how to put the progress back in progressive," he said. The group plans to publish the commissioned papers before the end of the year.
The push comes as Democrats grapple with internal fractures over economic messaging after recent electoral losses. If adopted, the Abundance agenda would mark a sharp pivot from traditional progressive stances favoring strict oversight of industry and development. The initiatives could influence primary debates and platform writing for the 2028 cycle.
Kaufman declined to name donors, but described the coalition as broad-based. The group's success will hinge on whether it can bridge divisions between pro-business moderates and grassroots progressives who remain skeptical of deregulatory approaches.