Sunday Hopium - Democrats Rally Across The Country As Sad, Sundowning And Deeply Unpopular Donald Stays Home
Let's close strong and win these elections everybody!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Happy Sunday everyone! Barack Obama returned to the trail yesterday and brought fire, energy, and hope. Here’s a recording of his GOVT rally for Abigail Spanberger and Virginia Dems in Norfolk, Virginia:
Here’s his GOTV rally for Mikie Sherrill and New Jersey Dems in Newark, New Jersey:
There were a lot of remarkable moments from these events yesterday. Here are some of my favorites…..
Listen to the crowd chant “USA, USA, USA” when Mikie Sherrill talks about the greatness of America:
Listen to the crowd erupt chanting “Abigail, Abigail, Abigail” for Abigail Spanberger:
Here is Obama closing strong for Spanberger:
Here is Governor Gavin Newsom stumping at a big Yes On Prop 50 rally too:
Democrats were out there yesterday all across the country busting their ass and fighting for you.
Where was sad Donald? Stewing in Mar-a-Lago. From The Washington Post:
President Donald Trump has done little public campaigning in marquee races where Democrats are running heavily against him, keeping a distance from some Republican candidates and signaling some pessimism about next Tuesday’s elections.
In Virginia, Trump has reserved his explicit support for just one statewide candidate — Attorney General Jason Miyares, who is viewed as the likeliest candidate on the GOP ticket to win. Trump has not officially endorsed the nominee for governor, Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, who is trailing in the polls.
In New Jersey, Trump has limited his engagement on behalf of Jack Ciattarelli, the unusually competitive GOP nominee for governor, to an endorsement and a telerally. There is some debate in the party over how widely visible a surrogate Trump should be in a state where he made gains in 2024 but has faced a backlash over his agenda.
In California, where Democrats are increasingly hopeful they will win a vote to redraw congressional districts, Trump has mostly hung back and this past week sought to preemptively discredit the vote, without presenting evidence for his claims. Trump’s team worked with GOP allies to raise $25 million for voter turnout, but Republicans’ data suggested Proposition 50 was likely to pass, which made the Trump political team wary of more spending, according to a person familiar with their thinking who, like some others, spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal conversations.
Trump has long shown an eagerness to put his stamp on what he says are major accomplishments, including electoral victories, at times jumping in at the last minute to claim credit. While he has been known to rapidly step up his involvement as he sees fit and could shift his stance, Trump has no plans to rally voters in person in New Jersey or Virginia in the final days of the race, according to a senior White House official.
“I don’t think he likes to back candidates he knows are going to lose,” said Chris Saxman, a former GOP state delegate in Virginia who ran Earle-Sears’s transition team after she was elected lieutenant governor in 2021.
While our campaigns and all of us have been working hard these last few days a reminder of how sad Donald has been spending his time:
Sad, ailing, sundowning Donald is not on the campaign trail this weekend for he is today, in most public polls, the most unpopular American leader at this point in either their first or fifth year in the history of polling. Here’s new data from the Washington Post today (11 points underwater on crime, 13 on immigration!!!!):
A note about the most recent polling in New Jersey. Almost every credible independent poll taken in the last few weeks has Sherrill up by 5 points or more. This week she actually gained in the Quinnipiac, Fox News and Emerson polls. There is no conclusive evidence the race is “tightening” or getting close. A reminder of the battery of polls released on Thursday:
Sherrill 54%-44% (+10) YouGov
Sherrill 51%-43% (+8) Quinnipiac (2 pt gain since last poll)
Sherrill 52%-45% (+7) Fox (2 pt gain since last poll)
Sherrill 50%-48% (+2) Emerson/Nexstar (right-aligned, 1 pt gain since last poll)
In this final week Sherrill leads by an average of 6 points in quality, independent polls. The one poll that had the race within margin of error, Atlas Intel, got there by having the her black support at a ridiculous 40%. Harris won 85% of black voters in 2024. See this post by G. Elliott Morris for more.
Friends, the American people have rejected Trump and his terrible regime. Meaningful cracks have begun to appear in his Congressional support, and vulnerable 2026 Republicans are not going to like it that Trump was not out campaigning this weekend for it signals either that he’s a big drag on Republicans now or he doesn’t care. Yes, Republicans are coming to understand that the data like this that we’ve been reviewing is real and cannot be wished away:
The rejection of Trumpism by a clear majority of the American people is creating a “cycle of opportunity” for us all across the country. Connect with the energy, the passion, the fight of our movement through these videos, and……
Let’s Get To Work Everyone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Winning The Fall - Support Our November, 2025 Candidates and Yes On 50
Mikie Sherrill NJ Gov (2025) - $130k raised, $250,000 goal, - Donate | Learn More | Volunteer | Watch my new interview with Rep. Sherrill
Abigail Spanberger VA Gov (2025) - $222k raised, $250,000 goal, - Donate | Learn More | Volunteer | Watch my interview with Abigail Spanberger
Yes on 50 (CA) - Learn more, volunteer | Sign Up For CA Dem Party daily phonebanks | Watch my new interview with Gov. Gavin Newsom
Winning The Midterms - Support Our 2026 Candidates
Roy Cooper for NC Senate (2026) - $250,000 goal, $48k raised- Donate | Learn More | Volunteer | Watch my interviews with Gov. Cooper
Jon Ossoff GA Senate (2026) - $250,000 goal, $88k raised - Donate | Learn More | Volunteer | Watch my inspiring new interview with Senator Ossoff
Hopium House 7 (2026) - $250,000 goal, $225k raised - Donate | Learn More, Volunteer | Watch My Interviews With Our Intrepid Incumbents
Expanding The Map - Support Our Audacious Expansion Fund (2026-2032)
Hopium’s Audacious Expansion Fund - $250,000 goal, $181,000 raised - Join our new campaign to invest in the Democratic Parties of Alaska, Florida, Iowa, Maine, and Texas and watch interviews with all the state Party Chairs of all 5 states | Donate to all five state parties | Many thanks to two generous Hopium community members who have audaciously donated $10,000 to each of our five state parties!
Our updated fundraising goals are now for the end of the year, December 31st, except for the 2025 races, which are now for Election Day, 2025.
For those who can please vote early, today, if possible. When you vote early your name comes off campaign GOTV rolls allowing our campaigns to move on to lower propensity voters, which increases D turnout and makes it more likely we win. Voting early = another way to help us win.
Defending America, Winning The Big Arguments With Trump - We have two recommended actions today:
1 - Call Your Senators and Member Of The House And Demand They Act Upon Our Four-Part Agenda - We need to be loud people, very, very loud and make the case for our our emerging four part agenda. Demand that your Senators and House Member work to:
Roll back Trump’s terrible, illegal tariffs that are re-igniting inflation, driving up prices, shifting the tax burden from the wealthy to working people, hurting small businesses and farmers, reviving tyrannical “taxation without representation,” and alienating governments and people throughout the world and fully fund SNAP FFS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Defend our democracy, rule of law, and our liberties by blocking the expansion of ICE, restoring due process for immigrants across the country, vigorously defending the 1st Amendment, warring against his outrageous targeting of his domestic political opponents, and ending the use of the military on our streets and the unlawful occupation of our cities
Fight Trump’s war on science, higher education and our public health; reverse - not delay - the cuts to the ACA and Medicaid; support and co-sponsor Rep. Haley Stevens’ effort to Impeach and remove Robert Kennedy
Stand with Ukraine and our European allies, and far more forcefully challenge Trump’s traitorous efforts to sell out the US and the West to Russia and China
2 - Bring “Resolutions Of Condemnation” To Your Community - Inspired by the tactics of our Founders learn about how Hopium members are advancing “Resolutions of Condemnation” in their communities across the country and consider bringing this initiative to your state, country or city/town. Be sure to check out our new discussion with Deborah Potter and Rachel Poliner who have passed resolutions in New Mexico and Boston. They offer practical advice on how to get a resolution passed in your own community.
Remarkably, members of this community have passed or are advancing 85 (!!!!) resolution projects in 23 states + DC. Can we get to all 50 states by the end of the year?
Finally, please self-report your activities to our daily paid subscriber chat. These reports help inspire all of us to do more and fight harder! Please include reports of voting early and consider sending photos of your completed ballot or or your “I’ve voted” sticker to community@hopiumchronicles.com.
Keep working hard all, and remember Hopium is hope with a plan. We don’t just hope tomorrow will be better than today.
We do the work to make it so - Simon
Simon Rosenberg, you work very hard every day. I believe that your hard work will be rewarded on Tuesday.
If you know anyone who lives in Pennsylvania, please urge them to VOTE YES to retain all judges in the judicial retention election. But especially to retain the 3 SUPREME COURT JUSTICES, who might be on the back side of the ballot. (This very important election could determine the outcome of potential challenges to election results in 2026 and 2028.)