The Vermont Democratic Party fundraiser Thursday night fell halfway between the election of President Donald Trump and the next time Democrats will be tested on the state ballot.

The whole evening straddled these poles, as party leaders slammed Trump and his policies but also suggested Democrats need a major internal makeover.

"We have got to change our culture," said Keith Ellison, the Minnesota congressman and deputy chairman of the Democratic National Committee.

"We have got to go from being a party that campaigns every four years and is kind of run by some folks who've got the inside track," Ellison said, pausing as the crowd chuckled, "to a party that's wide open and includes everybody and wants everybody."

The fundraiser, held at the ECHO Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, brought Democrats and independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders together over appetizers, drinks and a cow sculpture made of butter to rally support for liberal policies. When Sanders called for a $15 minimum wage and universal health care, the crowd's raucous applause showed just how widely those ideas have been accepted within the state party.

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The event served as a launching point for a state party that is preparing to take on Republican Gov. Phil Scott in 2018.

Party chairman Faisal Gill introduced candidate James Ehlers as "our candidate for governor" and encouraged the crowd to "grill him." Ethan Sonneborn, the 13-year-old gubernatorial candidate, also mingled with the crowd.

Sanders' stepdaughter Carina Driscoll is considering a March bid for mayor of Burlington, the office Sanders held from 1981 to 1989. Driscoll, a former Progressive city councilor and state legislator, has not said whether she would run with a political affiliation or as an independent. She accompanied Sanders to the party Thursday.

Also appearing at the fundraiser were Mayor Miro Weinberger and Rep. Peter Welch. Sen. Patrick Leahy spoke via video.

Nationally, Democrats were buoyed this week by wins in Virginia and New Jersey and a vote for Medicaid expansion in Maine, even while internal controversies remain raw, and party leaders are redefining their message.

"As bad as Trump is, we are not as a party the party of anti-Trump," Welch said, suggesting instead that Democrats should reach out to coal miners and other workers who are struggling.

"We Democrats are going to stand up, all of us in this room, and help folks who are on the losing end of this economy," Welch said.

Sanders, who sought the Democratic nomination for president and now serves in Senate Democratic leadership, is pushing for Democrats to make their party more transparent and to make caucuses and primary elections accessible for more people.

Sanders said Ellison, whom he supported in an unsuccessful bid for chairman of the Democratic National Committee, was working to "open the doors of the Democratic Party."

Ellison encouraged the crowd to build relationships with community and religious groups, not just during elections, and to welcome anyone without regard to party affiliation.

"The Democratic Party is not for Democrats," Ellison said. "The Democratic Party is for the American people. It's for everybody."

Contact April McCullum at 802-660-1863 or amccullum@freepressmedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at @April_McCullum.

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