Morning all. First of all - holy smokes! When called this community answers again and again. We raised $256,000 for our candidates and party committees yesterday, more than twice as much as any other day this cycle. It was a huge day on what was a very important day in this critical election - thank you to everyone who stepped up and rallied for those on the frontlines of what has become a year of extraordinary opportunity for our politics.
That was the main theme of my weekly talk last night - that we are on the cusp of having the election we all wanted to have, and need to keep our heads down and keep working as hard as we can. You can find a video recording and rough transcript of my talk above.
As we discussed last night I think we have four jobs now:
Support our candidates and party committees, and try to win the election by as big a margin as possible. Our goal should be to make this election a clear and unequivocal repudiation of Trump and MAGA, and to do that we must attempt to win both the House and the Senate - something that is within our grasp.
We need to drive the early vote and become early vote champions in our communities, organizations, networks and family. Driving the early vote makes it more likely we win and harder for them to cheat, but it also gives us an opportunity to create a necessary issue contrast between our party that believes in democracy and fights for our rights and freedoms and their party who has betrayed the American creed and wants to take our rights and freedoms away.
We need to work to protect our election and ensure there is a peaceful transfer of power. While there are many ways to do this we recommend three: 1) Volunteer for your state party election protection program 2) Become a state party Democracy Protector election day monitor 3) support our fundraising drive for the state party New Battlefield Project below.
Deliver for the American people, restore our global alliances, and renew our democracy when back in power.
Let’s drill down on all that a bit.
Let’s start with the election. Trump got his worst major independent poll of the cycle this morning. Things just keep getting worse for him and the Rs:
The upper end of the generic ballot has moved into big blue wave territory:
We have a legitimate chance of flipping the Senate, even getting to 52-53 seats:
FiftyPlusOne’s Senate forecast today gives us a 99% chance of flipping the House and a 73% chance of taking back the Senate:
With five weeks to go we are in a place that I frankly never thought we would be. Trump’s been an extraordinary failure in every way imaginable. His corruption is unprecedented and staggering. He is clearly unwell and wildly unfit. People are angry, and feel betrayed and abandoned by the corrupt Epstein class running our country - as they should. They are not just turning on the Republicans they are turning to us, and have put their faith back in us as a party to lead them to a better place.
This is very important. It would be wrong to look at the data in front of us or what we hear from our candidates and conclude this election is only about a repudiation and rejection of Trump. Let’s review that data we saw last week from the Strength In Numbers poll:
In my talk last night I tried to articulate what I am hearing from our candidates and will try to capture it here too for I think it is very important. I’ve been involved in some fashion or another in every election since 1992. There is something happening out there this year that this profound, and particular to this election, to this moment. Voters are aware of the gravity of the problems we now face; how much Trump has betrayed and abandoned them; and are desperate for strong and admirable leaders to lead them out of this mess and restore dignity and a sense of purpose to our nation once again. I don’t think this is like any other election I’ve ever been part of for it simply isn’t like anything any of us - or this nation - has ever experienced before.
For no set of Americans in our history have ever been betrayed by their leaders as Trump and his allies have betrayed all of us.
And this collective sense of the gravity of the moment is causing our candidates to elevate, become bigger, and ever more effective champions of people and communities who feel abandoned and betrayed. They have become aware in their conversations with voters that people see this as no ordinary time, and are desperate for proven servant leaders, ones they can trust, ones they can touch and feel, ones who have been there for them before and are trusted members of their communities, to win these elections and begin to put things right.
In our interviews you’ve met these servant leaders, people of proven character, firefighters, union leaders, teachers, professors, ministers, doctors, navy helicopter pilots, seminarians, prosecutors, admirals, generals, Olympians, television anchors, well known and respected local elected leaders. In this time of enormous challenge and uncertainty voters are not looking for radical change, they are looking for something familiar, something tried, trusted, and true, and something far, far better than what they have now.
Which is why we are on the verge of having the election we all want to have. For voters like the Democrats they are seeing all across the country, and are once again putting their faith back in us to lead us to a better place. Our job now is not to let them down; to be strong enough to win this election by as big a margin as possible; to ensure there is a peaceful transfer of power in January; and then fight with everything we got to make things better for them and this battered nation.
So often when I finish one of my interviews with a candidate or party leader I think “wow, that was amazing. What a candidate, what a leader. I’m grateful they’ve decided to run. ” I know many of you feel that way too. And I think what we are feeling in that moment is this dynamic I am describing - of admirable people stepping up for their community in a time of crisis, who feel the weight of the moment on their shoulders, and are rising to meet the moment and lead their communities and neighbors to a better place. And in this process I think we are witnessing the birth of a new politics for our party and our nation, of servant-leaders, lifted up by love of country and love of neighbor, who are in the process of becoming ferocious and determined warriors for the common good and who will not stop fighting until they put things right……
That’s why we’ve been raising so much money these past few weeks and over the cycle. For we have been inspired by the leaders we’ve met, and have put our trust in them, as voters are doing with Democrats all over the country right now. Now we need to finish the job, my friends, and get these remarkable, admirable leaders elected all across the country; ensure there is a free and fair election and a peaceful transfer of power; and then go do the most important of all- go to work, tirelessly, for the American people and begin the arduous process of putting things right……
That’s some of what we talked about last night fellow patriots. Watch the video. Share it and this post with others. Hit like so more will see it. And yes, it that time, now. Time to….
Three things you can do in addition to supporting our intrepid candidates and state parties:
Become an
Early Vote Championin your networks, communities, and organizations.Sign up to become a
Democracy Protectortoo. Our next training is this Wednesday, Oct 7th at 10pm ET.Email photos of your electoral work or physical act of voting to community@hopiumchronicles.com or via links on our daily chat. We want to start showcasing them here on Hopium.
**Our Winning The House - Stake In The Ground Fund **- Donate | $1,541,100 raised, $2,000,000 goal (new stretch goal) | Watch interviews with all twelve candidates |This is our #1 fund, updated now with new intel to include the twelve most competitive races where money and volunteers are most needed (largely due to the expense of the district, and understanding now where Republicans have decided to stand and fight).
Our * Stake In The Ground Fund* now includes Jamie Ager (NC-11), Rebecca Bennett (NJ-7), Christina Bohannan (IA-01), Paige Cognetti (PA-08), Cait Conley (NY-17), Sarah Trone Garriott (IA-03), Jo Mendoza (AZ-06), Christina Hines (MI-10), Brian Poindexter (OH-7), Bobby Pulido (TX-15), Manny Rutinel (CO-8), and Randy Villegas (CA-22).
If we win these twelve races the House flips - period. So let’s get on with the flippin’!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Our Winning The Senate Fund - Donate | $1,282,100 raised, $1,500,000 goal | Watch interviews with all six Senate flippers | This fund splits a single donation to our six candidates must likely to flip a Senate seat this November - Sherrod Brown (OH), Roy Cooper (NC), Troy Jackson (ME), Mary Peltola (AK), James Talarico (TX), and Josh Turek (IA).
**These are the majority makers in the Senate this cycle, and we need with everything we got to win all six. **
**Our New Growing Our House Majority Fund **- Donate | $592,100 raised, $1,000,000 goal | Watch interviews with all eighteen candidates | We’ve combined our Second and Third Waves Funds and added some candidates from our OG Winning The House Fund in a new fund we are calling Growing The House Majority. The idea is simple. We win the House with the first fund. We grow our majority with this one.
This fund now splits a contribution evenly among 18 candidates - Bob Brooks (PA-07), Rebecca Cooke (WI-03), Elaine Luria (VA-02), Sean McCann (MI-04), Johnny Garcia (TX-35), Bob Harvie (PA-01), Lindsay James (IA-02), Jake Johnson (MN-01), Jessica Killin (CO-5), Nancy Lacore (SC-01), Chaz Molder (TN-05), Jonathan Nez (AZ-02), Dr. Richard Pan (CA-06), Denise Powell (NE-02), Dr. Amish Shah (AZ-01), Janelle Stelson (PA-10), Shannon Taylor (VA-01), and Marni von Wilpert (CA-48).
A reminder that the maximum that a donor can contribute to any Federal candidate for the general election is $3,500, however that money is donated.
Support The State Parties’ Election Protection Program - Donate | $88,900 raised, $100,000 new stretch goal | We’ve launched a new, targeted fundraising campaign to help get the new election protection program of the State Democratic Parties, one this community helped develop, off the ground.
Winning Alaska (New) - Donate | $6,300 raised, $150,000 goal | Our Winning Alaska campaign splits a contribution evenly among Mary Peltola for Senate, Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins for governor, and the Alaska Democratic Party and its great Chair, Eric Croft.
**Winning Georgia ***- *Donate | $45,100 raised, $150,000 goal | Our Winning Georgia campaign splits a contribution three ways among Senator Jon Ossoff, gubernatorial candidate Keisha Lance Bottoms, and the Georgia Democratic Party and it’s great Chair, Charlie Bailey.
Winning Iowa - Donate | $59,100 raised, $150,000 goal | Our Winning Iowa campaign splits a contribution three ways among Josh Turek for Senate, our gubernatorial candidate Rob Sand, and to the Iowa Democratic Party and it’s great Chair, Rita Hart.
**Winning Maine **- Donate | $93,100 raised, $150,000 goal | Our Winning Maine campaign splits a contribution evenly among Troy Jackson for Senate, Hannah Pingree for Governor, and the Maine Democratic Party and its battle-tested Chair, Charlie Dingman.
Winning North Carolina - Donate | $73,100 raised, $200,000 goal | Our Winning North Carolina campaign splits a contribution evenly among Roy Cooper for Senate, Anita Earls for the state Supreme Court, and the NC Democratic Party and it’s ass-kicking chair, Anderson Clayton.
Winning Ohio - Donate | $214,100 raised, $250,000 goal | Our Winning Ohio campaign splits contributions evenly among Sherrod Brown, the Acton-Pepper ticket, and the Ohio Democratic Party and its terrific Chair, Kathleen Clyde.
Winning Wisconsin - Donate | $30,100 raised, $150,000 goal - Our Winning Wisconsin campaign splits contributions evenly among David Crowley for Governor and the Wisconsin Democratic Party (and its terrific Chair Devin Remiker) and it’s legislative victory fund. Our community has invested heavily in getting helping Wisconsin Democrats flip both state legislative chambers and finally get a trifecta. Now we must finish the job!
Hopium’s Audacious Expansion Fund - Donate | $684,100 raised, $750,000 goal | Join our campaign that has helped expand our map by investing in the Democratic Parties of Alaska, Florida, Iowa, Maine, and Texas, all now central battlegrounds in the 2026 election | Contribute to all five state parties with one contribution split evenly among these five critical battlegrounds | Catch interviews with the five intrepid state chairs leading their troops into battle this year - will get you fired up!
Friends, we’ve hit out $100,000 goal for home stretch funds for Hopium and our work. So grateful, so thankful to all of you who have contributed.!!! I am retiring the fund for now and will get back to working hard for our candidates and party committees!
Finally, self-report all the good trouble you are making each day in our paid subscriber chat below.
Keep working hard all. For we have a country to save, and elections to win all across the country, together! - Simon
