Scoop: Democrats weigh mini-convention before 2026 midterms

Senior Democratic officials want to hold a rare national convention before the 2026 midterms to showcase candidates and emerging leaders of the party, people familiar with the conversations tell Axios.Why it matters: The event — a smaller version of the national conventions the party holds in presidential election years — would allow the party to fundraise and get media attention as it tries to win back both chambers of Congress next year.It also could create a national stage for Democrats running in key House, Senate and governors' races to frame their arguments against President Trump and his MAGA Republicans. State of play: Ken Martin, the new chair of the Democratic National Committee, quietly has been pushing the idea with party leaders in Minneapolis this week during his first meeting as DNC chair.Martin has noted that the party has held midterm-focused conventions in the past, though not for decades.Reality check: The talks are in early stages, so it's unclear whether such an event will be held.The DNC declined to comment. Between the lines: The convention also would likely double as a gathering place for potential 2028 presidential candidates looking to bolster their public profiles and glad-hand other party leaders.It would be a high-stakes endeavor for Martin, who took over a party that was rocked by its losses last year and left with relatively little cash.Flashback: Such gatherings were routine for Democrats in the 1970s and '80s — sometimes before the midterm elections to showcase candidates, and sometimes afterward to assess the results of the elections.In 1978, Democrats held a convention in Memphis after the midterms, and in 1982, the party gathered in Philadelphia the summer before the elections.Democrats ditched the midterms event in 1986, after some party leaders argued it wasted time and energy.

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