House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi has long hosted big donors, lawmakers and other political heavyweights for two-day policy forums at a luxury resort in Napa Valley, California.
This year, Pelosi, a Democrat from San Francisco, is passing the baton to her Bay Area colleague, Rep. Ro Khanna, who represents parts of Silicon Valley and is a leading progressive voice on technology, manufacturing and other economic issues.
On Friday evening, Khanna will kick off the Innovation Leadership Circle Retreat, a two-day gathering in Napa Valley that will feature a keynote address from Pelosi herself as well as speakers from Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr and former White House chief of staff Ron Klain, according to a copy of the schedule obtained by NBC News.
Khanna said this year’s retreat, to be held at a resort in Yountville, will have a strong focus on technology as Democrats remain the “party of the future” and try to keep tech industry leaders from drifting to other candidates like former President Donald Trump or Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
“I want Democrats to remain the party of the future, the party of innovation, the party of entrepreneurship. I want us to be seen as the party that helps create generational wealth, the party that leads the economy,” Khanna said in a phone interview as she prepared for the rally.
Khanna’s team says 100 technology leaders are expected to attend, including billionaire venture capitalists Vinod Khosla, Max Schireson and Deirdre Lyell, former Facebook executive Paul Grewal and former PayPal president and CEO Dan Schulman.
According to the schedule, the retreat will begin with a reception and dinner featuring Kerr, a nine-time NBA champion as a player and coach, who is a personal friend of both Khan and Pelosi and has publicly campaigned for stricter gun control.
Speaker Pelosi, who stepped down as top leader after Democrats lost their majority in the 2022 midterm elections, is scheduled to address the gathering at a breakfast on Saturday, where Klain and Khanna, President Joe Biden’s first White House chief of staff, will discuss economic policy.
The retreat will conclude with a cocktail reception featuring three of Kana’s Democratic colleagues in the House: Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chair Nanette Barragan of California; Jonathan Jackson of Illinois, a veteran of the civil rights movement and outreach to black men; and Sara Jacobs of California, granddaughter of Qualcomm co-founder Irwin Jacobs, whom Kana calls “the next generation of leaders in our party.”
A few days later, wealthy venture capitalists David Sachs and Chamath Palihapitiya are hosting a Trump fundraiser in one of San Francisco’s most exclusive neighborhoods: Tickets will cost between $50,000 and $300,000 a pop, in Pelosi’s hometown of Pacific Heights.
“I strongly disagree with their support of Donald Trump, but they also did events for Robert Kennedy and they supported Vivek Ramaswamy. They support more unconventional candidates and are contrarian in a way. There has always been a libertarian streak in Silicon Valley, but the majority of tech leaders are not,” Khanna said, adding that tech leaders understand the importance of government investment in initiatives like CHIPS and the Science Act.
“I would say 90% of prominent leaders in Silicon Valley still support the Democratic Party,” Khanna continued, “but we have work to do to make sure we don’t lose the support of some of America’s entrepreneurs and innovators.”
Khanna said the rally is not a fundraiser, but many of the attendees are Democratic donors. His campaign is paying for food and drinks, and tech leaders and other attendees are paying for their own lodging. Khanna said he plans to move the rally south to Silicon Valley next year.
Like Pelosi, Khanna is a member of the Biden campaign’s national advisory council and an active campaign surrogate.
Trump hosted a forum on artificial intelligence with scholars and thought leaders on Capitol Hill in February and has traveled extensively to the Midwest and Rust Belt to tout his desire to revive American manufacturing. He said he plans to unveil a modern steel bill in July in Johnstown, Pennsylvania.
In September, Khanna will team up with Jennifer Clyburn, daughter of South Carolina Rep. James Clyburn, a powerful Democrat, to host a summit with Apple, Google, Microsoft, Nvidia and 40 Historically Black Colleges and Universities focused on creating jobs and scholarships for young Black students and graduates.
Khanna, 47, has shown signs of laying the groundwork for a future presidential bid: Asked whether he would run for higher office in 2028, he said he was focused on ensuring Biden is re-elected in November’s election.
“I want to enter the upcoming national debate on the economy and make sure that Democrats are seen as the party that supports wealth creation, innovation, entrepreneurship and reindustrialization. And that’s my biggest theme, my biggest passion,” he said. “That’s what I’ve done for eight years in Congress and that’s what I’m going to continue to do, and I look forward to the next generation of leaders.”
