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By Humberto Sanchez and Niels Lesniewski Posted at 8:47 a.m. on Dec. 4, 2014

Manchin (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

Senate Democrats held a meeting Wednesday that they hoped would end intraparty finger-pointing after tough election losses, and discussed their new minority role in next Congress.

The healing process is beginning, West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin III said.

Senators heard from their colleagues who wont be coming back next Congress including Sen. Mark Begich of Alaska, Manchin said.

Manchin added, We hope to do things a little differently.

Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., who helped lead the meeting with Sen. Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., said it would be the first of many discussions to come on how to take back the majority in 2016. Schumer is the chairman of the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee and Stabenow is DPCC vice chairman.

One Democratic senator, speaking on background, said the group is looking to rebound from its loss, and the first step was doing a little reflecting on 2014 and discussing what the strategy will be in the minority for the coming two years.

The senator said there seemed to be a desire among the Democrats to work with Republicans to get things done.

Senators come and go and majorities come and go, but weve got to do better around here about taking care of the nations business. I think that was a big part of today, trying to figure out how to do that in this numerical environment and this political environment, the senator said.

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Senate Democrats Talk Life in Minority, Plot Comeback

By Emily Cahn Posted at 5 a.m. on Dec. 4

Toomey is a Pennsylvania Republican. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

Its been more than four years since former Rep. Joe Sestak narrowly lost his bid for Senate and the Pennsylvania Democrathasnt stopped running since.After his 2010 loss to Republican Patrick J. Toomey, Sestak continued to traverse the state to raise cash before officially filing for a rematch against the senator in September.

Weve done 400 events in two years for other candidates, Sestak said in a Wednesdayphone interview with CQ Roll Call. Ive put a quarter-million miles on my car.

Keystone State Democrats laud Sestak for coming within 2 points of defeating Toomey in an otherwise miserable year for the party. But someprivately question whether hes the partys best bet for a high-stakes Senate race.

So far, top state Democrats are mum on whether they would support Sestak in a competitive primary.

Oh its way too early to talk about support, Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., said when asked about Sestaks bid. Its real early. But all I can predict is 16s going to be better than 14.

He got close last time, said outgoing Rep. Allyson Y. Schwartz, D-Pa. But I think people are also open to other names, so there could well be a primary.

Toomey sits near the top of Democrats target list in 2016. President Barack Obama carried Pennsylvania by a 5-point margin in his last campaign. Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton remains popular there, and she would top the ticket if she runs for president. Either way, Toomey will need to attract a swath of split-ticket voters to win re-election.

In 2010, Sestak defeated Sen. Arlen Specter in a pricey primary fight. Pennsylvania Democrats were fully behind Specter, formerly a moderate Republican who switched parties to avoid a primary with Toomey. This situation and Sestaks pugnacious personal style have created an awkward relationship with some top Pennsylvania Democrats.

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Pennsylvania Democrats Hesitate on Sestak Senate Bid

TIME Politics 2014 Election Now Its Democrats Turn for a Post-Election Autopsy US Sen. Mitch McConnell, Republican from Kentucky, waves to supporters with his wife Elaine Chao during his victory celebration at the Marriott East Hotel in Louisville, Ky. on Nov. 4, 2014. Mark LyonsEPA Similar effort to Republicans' post-election autopsy in 2013

A month after its midterm election drubbing, the Democratic National Committee has selected a panel of party leaders, allies, and operatives to examine where it went wrong in 2014.

DNC Chair Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz announced the formation of the Democratic Victory Task Force Thursday to conduct a review of Democratic Party and allied organizations operations in the 2014 cycle, when Democrats lost control of the Senate and saw defeats in House, gubernatorial and state legislative races across the country.

The committee is made up of Democratic fundraiser Naomi Aberly, Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear, DNC Vice-Chair Donna Brazile, political operative Maria Cardona, party lawyer Marc Elias, former Obama digital guru Teddy Goff, marketing and event planning veteran Maneesh Goyal, Colorado Democratic Party Chair Rick Palacio, AFSCME President Lee Saunders and Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt.

Democrats maintain a structural advantage in presidential cycles, when a larger and more diverse electorate goes to the polls, but they have suffered in two consecutive midterm years from lower, less diverse turnout, as well as frustration with President Barack Obama. The committee will review areas where the party needs to improve both its midterm election operations, as well as areas where it must act to gear up for the 2016 presidential campaign.

We are proud to announce the members of the Democratic Victory Task Force, and are eager to work with them to build on what weve done that works, identify and prioritize challenges and ultimately improve our partys performance in future elections, Wasserman Schultz said in a statement. This diverse group of Democratic Party officials, strategists and advocates will each bring with them expertise from their fields to collaborate on a holistic review of the Partys past performance and present actionable areas for improvement moving forward.

The panel follows a similar effort by the Republican National Committee after its 2012 defeat. The Growth and Opportunity Project recommended operational and policy changes to the Republican Party when it released its report in early 2013.

Wasserman Schultz said the group will report its initial findings at the DNCs winter meeting in February 2015 and make final recommendations by mid-2015.

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Now Its Democrats Turn for a Post-Election Autopsy

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