The Leadership Now Project (LNP) is a nonprofit membership group for business leaders who seek to "protect and renew American democracy." For 2023–2024, the group stated that its goals were to educate business professionals about democracy, reform elections, and, as a 501(c)(4) organization, support "moderate candidates" in U.S. elections.
The New York Times described LNP as a "coalition of 400 politically active current and retired executives". The Associated Press described LNP as a "group of business executives, academics and thought leaders." Bloomberg described LNP as a "group of business leaders who had organized to counter what they saw as threats to democracy during the last Trump administration."
By 2024, the group was vocal in warning about the "threats posed by a second term of Donald Trump.”
On July 5, 2024, 168 LNP members signed a letter which urged Joe Biden to end his 2024 re-election bid.
Affiliates & partners
Leadership Now Project's affiliates and partners include Leadership Now Arizona, Leadership Now Ohio, and the Wisconsin Business Leaders for Democracy (WBLD).
In June 2024, LNP issued a pledge, signed by business leaders, that it asked to be signed by presidential candidates. The six commitments of the pledge include the "peaceful transition of power, in victory or defeat."
The group has also attracted criticism, such as its lack of practical action for the leaders' companies to reduce "income and wealth inequality" and improve job security.
LNP issued a statement asking President Biden to step aside and not run for re-election, with a private letter from 168 business professionals.
In the statement, LNP described the possibility of a second Trump term “an existential threat to American democracy”. The statement noted that at the first presidential debate in Atlanta, Mr. Biden “failed to effectively make the case against Trump, and we now fear the risk of a devastating loss in November.”
In October 2024, The Financial Times quoted Ballou-Aares of LNP in its article titled Kamala Harris's Wall Street charm offensive begins to pay off as saying: "People had been staying out, giving to congressional campaigns and preparing for the worst . . . they are now engaged."
2025 activities
It conducted a poll with Harris in April among business leaders, a majority of whom expressed varying degrees of concern about the impact of the tariffs on the U.S. economy's global standing and health.
In April, Florsheim was quoted in an AP story on Trump's on-again-off-again tariffs.
In August, Bloomberg Businessweek reported LNP's work to counter partisan gerrymandering efforts in states such as Wisconsin.
LNP has worked with officials in New York to stop the deployment of federal forces in New York City.
A Harris poll conducted in October revealed widespread concern among senior business leaders about the impact of the current political and legal climate.
LNP highlights candidates in each election cycle and it has released the names of the Congressional candidates it recommends for the 2026 election cycle.
Awards
The Leadership Now Project won an Anthem Award in 2024 for its work in Ohio and Wisconsin.
↑"Vance Rallies Supporters in Arizona as Walz Stumps in Pennsylvania". nytimes.com. The New York Times. 5 September 2024. Retrieved 8 September 2024. Leadership Now Project, a coalition of business leaders that pushed President Biden to leave the race, will endorse Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday evening, said Daniella Ballou-Aares, the group's chief executive. The group, founded in 2017, has endorsed both Democrats and Republicans ...
