After spending Sunday morning on the talk show circuit complaining about the Schumer Shutdown and pretending to care about federal workers, top Democrats are now packing their bags for California — headed to a lavish retreat at the upscale Hotel Yountville in Napa Valley.The optics couldn’t be worse: while government employees face uncertainty, Democratic leaders are off sipping wine in one of the most exclusive corners of the country. The retreat, scheduled for Monday and Tuesday, is hosted by DSCC Chair Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY).
On October 3, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) told the Washington Examiner that the Democratic retreat in Napa Valley was still scheduled to take place despite the ongoing government shutdown, though she noted the plans could change if the impasse continued. However, by Friday, October 10, Punchbowl News reported that the event was still on and that Gillibrand would be attending.
Sen. Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), who is listed as a co-host on the event invitation, told the Washington Examiner that she would not be attending. “I’m not hosting anything. When we have a shutdown, we’re not going to be in Napa Valley.”
The retreat itinerary includes a private wine tour and dinner at the Staglin Family Vineyards in nearby Oakville. The vineyard’s owners, Garin and Shari Staglin, contributed $138,600 to Kamala Harris’s 2024 presidential campaign, placing them among her top 15 donors in Northern California — no small feat given the competition from major Democratic benefactors like the Pritzker and Haas families.
Per POLITICO:
A Democrat briefed on the event tells us it also is slated to include Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.), who is campaigning for her state’s open Senate seat as a gritty daughter of the Midwest. A Stevens invite establishes the closest link so far between Stevens and the DSCC’s preference for her in Michigan’s three-way primary…. The event is also said to feature a crypto roundtable on its sidelines, this person said.
California’s two Democratic senators, Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla, have not commented on whether they plan to attend the retreat. Still, given that the event is taking place in their home state, their absence would be notable. Observers are watching closely to see whether they make an appearance at the high-profile gathering.