The Searchlight Institute, also known simply as Searchlight, is a Democratic Party-aligned think tank, the formation of which was announced in early 2025 by Adam Jentleson, a Democratic political operative whose most notable role was serving as deputy chief of staff to then-U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV). The name of the organization, Searchlight, was derived from Searchlight, Nevada, the small desert town in Nevada where Reid was born. In June 2025, Jentleson was said to be “quietly” forming the think tank to push Democrats to more popular policy positions, looking ahead to the 2028 presidential elections following former Vice President Kamala Harris’s loss to President Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election. ^{1 2 3}

Background

The launch of Searchlight as a left-of-center public policy think tank was reported by Politico in June 2025. The outlet reported that Adam Jentleson, former chief of staff to U.S. Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) and a top aide to former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) presented a plan at a private retreat for Democratic Party leaders and major donors to form a think tank designed to “push the Democratic Party toward the most effective, broadly popular positions regardless of which wing of the party they come from, with an eye toward 2028.” ¹

Politico’s reporting relied on five people who spoke directly to Jentleson and were “granted anonymity to describe private conversations.” It was also reported that Seth London, an advisor to major Democratic donors, was working with Jentleson on the effort. ¹

Those familiar with the think tank’s formation stated that its mission centered on rejecting “purity tests” that “Jentleson sees as holding the party hostage.” Politico’s report provided an example of such purity tests as including comments by former Vice President Kamala Harris regarding taxpayer-funded gender reassignment surgeries for inmates and others, which the 2024 Trump campaign used in attack ads in the 2024 presidential election. ⁴

Politico reported that Jentleson “explained the group to top Democratic donors and officials, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin and other congressional members, according to those people” at a retreat called “Wildflower,” hosted at a “swanky resort of the same name in upstate New York, where it also drew several potential 2028 candidates, including former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego.” ¹

Those present for Jentleson’s pitch stated that much of his presentation was laid out in a November 2024 New York Times op-ed that urged Democrats to declare “independence from liberal and progressive interest groups that prevent Democrats from thinking clearly about how to win” and to reject the “rigid mores and vocabulary of college-educated elites.” ^{5 1}

Seth London, who is also involved in the effort, wrote a post-election strategy memo that called for “a complete rejection of race- and group-based identity politics.” ⁶

Activity

Specific details about Searchlight’s formation, funding, and activity were unclear as of mid-2025. A website likely belonging to the group, referred to the group as the Searchlight Institute and stated “website coming soon” with an additional line stating “It all started in a little town in the Nevada desert,” a reference to Searchlight, Nevada, where former Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) was born. ³

1. Schneider, Elena. “New think tank ‘Searchlight’ pushes Democrats toward more popular positions.” Politico. June 3, 2025. Accessed July 7, 2025. https://www.politico.com/news/2025/06/03/dems-are-quietly-forming-a-think-tank-to-help-them-win-again-00381601
2. Troy, Tevi. “Can a New Think Tank Fix What’s Wrong With The Democratic Party?” Politico Magazine. June 25, 2025. Accessed July 7, 2025. https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2025/06/25/think-tank-democrat-republican-heritage-searchlight-ppi-00422087
3. “Homepage.” Searchlight Institute. Accessed July 5, 2025. https://searchlightinstitute.org/
4. Davis, Susan. “GOP ads on transgender rights are dominating airwaves in the election’s closing days” NPR, October 19, 2024. Accessed July 5, 2025. https://www.npr.org/2024/10/19/g-s1-28932/donald-trump-transgender-ads-kamala-harris
5. Jentleson, Adam. “When Will Democrats Learn to Say No?” New York Times, November 16, 2024. Accessed July 5, 2025. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/16/opinion/democrats-interest-groups-majority.html
6. Martin, Jonathan. “Democrats Wonder: Are We Too Correct?” POLITICO Magazine, November 13, 2024. Accessed July 5, 2025. https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2024/11/13/democrats-2024-defeat-identity-politics-message-column-00189118