Newly elected Democrats urge working with Trump after midterm sweep, warn against investigation-only focus

After sweeping wins in the US midterm elections, many newly elected Democrats say their party must not make the mistake of focusing only on investigating President Donald Trump. At a conference in Denver they spoke of looking for opportunities to work with Trump on costs and policy.

After sweeping pickups in last week's midterms, Democrats right away warned Trump and Republicans to 'lawyer up' and in the following days began outlining investigations into the administration. These include its handling of immigration enforcement, the president's business interests and the Justice Department's actions.

Hosted by Majority Democrats, the 'What's Next' conference in Denver brought Democratic leaders, strategists and rising figures together to discuss the party's direction after the midterms. Organizers billed it as an independent conversation about what Democrats should do next.

Iowa governor-elect Rob Sand cautioned his party against making investigations and impeachments the focus of its new political momentum, particularly on issues that have already been reported. He said he did not want to see Democrats 'throwing bombs' at Republicans.

Sand said there are people who are really struggling, whose lives have been ruined by high gas prices and all kinds of policy choices, and they need results. They need public servants who are actually trying to serve the public, he said.

Asked if that meant working with the Trump administration, Sand said yes. In his words, Trump is there, he was put there two years ago and he will be there another two years. You do not get to pick and choose who you work with; the people do, he said.

Senator-elect James Talarico of Texas called on Democrats to focus on what they can accomplish now, even as they push for longer-term reforms. He said some reforms may not pass until 2029, but the American people cannot wait two years for change. 'We must work with President Trump,' he said.

Talarico urged Democrats to make the final two years of Trump's presidency 'the most productive of any presidency in American history'. He became the first Democrat in nearly four decades to win a statewide election in Texas. He also warned against getting bogged down in the same petty fights, saying the American people are demanding change and in this election chose his party to deliver it.

Democratic strategist Lis Smith said the election was largely a referendum on Donald Trump and less a validation of Democrats and their policies. Smith, a senior advisor for Majority Democrats, said the party still needs to earn voters' trust and should focus on costs and corruption rather than treating the wins as a mandate for policies they did not campaign on.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll published this month indicated that nearly three-quarters of Americans wanted Democratic leaders in Congress to make a concerted effort to work with the president.