[3] NDN was led and founded by Simon Rosenberg in 1996,[4] after his split with the Democratic Leadership Council (DLC), for which he worked.

Before founding NDN, Rosenberg worked as a television news writer and producer and a political strategist for the Michael Dukakis and Bill Clinton presidential campaigns and the Democratic National Committee.

In 2000, the NDN was characterized as "a group of pro-business Capitol Hill Democrats who borrow freely from the metaphors and values of the New Economy in their quest to modernize their party and wean it away from the labor unions and old-line liberals.

"[8] The NDN, while not supporting or embracing 2004 Democratic presidential primary candidate Howard Dean, pointed to his online network of small donors, volunteers, and bloggers as the model to emulate for the Democratic Party.

[10] In the 2004 United States presidential election, NDN led an effort to turn out Hispanic voters for John Kerry.