Rep. Jane Harman (D-Calif.) and Third Way, a centrist Democratic group that focuses on communications strategy, joined together this week to provide training on national security policy to more than a dozen Democratic House candidates.

Third Way teaches Democrats how to talk about politically tricky issues such as national security and Second Amendment rights so that they will sound more palatable to Republican and independent voters.

Harman, in conjunction with her SecureUs political action committee, joined with Third Way this week to counsel Democrats running in GOP-leaning House districts this year. Among those who attended were: retired Air Force officer Charlie Brown, running in California’s solidly conservative 4th district, which is open; attorney Bob Lord, who is challenging Rep. John Shadegg (R) in Arizona’s conservative-leaning 3rd district; and former Hialeah Mayor Raul Martinez, who is challenging Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R) in Florida’s Republican-leaning 21st district.