(photo: @arenasummit)

In last year’s state elections, several progressive first-time candidates emerged as Democratic primary challengers to members of the State Senate’s Independent Democratic Conference, an erstwhile bloc of more moderate Democrats who had long been seen as a roadblock to reform on many fronts. Most of the IDC challengers were successful and some of their campaigns were aided in part by Arena, a group that launched after the 2016 presidential election and now aims to train the next generation of Democratic campaign staff.

For three