2) Early Voting in VA starts Sept 19 (less than 2 weeks from now!!) and I would like to see fanstastic early vote numbers! NOTE: the first two postcard options shown above focus on getting out the early vote!
3) The VA Dems managed to recruit Democrats for every single seat, so the potential to widen their narrow margin in the House of Delegates and flip the races at the top of the ticket looks pretty good to me. Probably the best chance since 2017.
But I will be looking at oppotunities going forward to help with NJ and PA. Activate America's postcard page (https://www.activateamerica.vote/postcards) indicates that new campaigns are coming soon for both states. They do have ample names and addresses for CA in support of passing Prop 50 aka the Election Rigging Response Act (ERRA).
Thank you. I think many of us have been feeling demoralized, and it is good to see numbers like those you have provided. I'd like to see the addition of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court retention election also coming up in November in your conversations. They have three Democrats up for re-election and, I believe, the Republicans are pouring money into that race. Would you be able to provide some discussion of this? I am not a PA person but watch these State Supreme Court races closely. This one seems important.
⬆️"I am not a PA person but watch these State Supreme Court races closely. This one seems important".
I agree! For anyone interested in putting in some time helping with the PA races, here are my suggestions:
Vote Forward has letter-writing compaigns in support of the PA Supreme Court races. For more info on how to get started with Vote Forward: https://votefwd.org/instructions
I just finished 20 GOTV letters to PA voters, through Vote Forward, regarding the November elections of three State Supreme Court Justices. 22% of their goal has been met. 840,000+ letters still need to go out by Tuesday, October 28. Easy activism! 🗳️🇺🇸 www.votefwd.org
When someone brings up Pennsylvania, I like to input that out of their seventeen members to the People's House, TEN are MAGA traitors. The state is governed by a Democrat.
By comparison, California has NINE traitors out of a total of 52 reps.
Only FOUR seats total determine the balance of power in the House. FOUR.
And people seem to accept they have NO POWER to change this prior to an election!!!!! If they believe that, of course there is no way to prove them wrong.
After sending donations through Hopium link I got a, in my experience unique, thank you email from Jon Ossoff. Just thanking and not asking for more. Very refreshing.
I donated to both Roy Cooper and Jon Ossoff (the latter for an in-person meet and greet here in Charlotte), and I got Thank-you notes from both of them.
I already did -- at a private residence. I don't know if my invitation was due my small monthy donation to his campaign or the fact that I attended a fundraiser last fall for Jeff Jackson which was hosted by the same couple.
Charlotte is a happening place to be in Democratic circles.
I attended a town hall earlier this summer with Beto O'Rourke and NCDP Chair Anderson Clayton. That was great! You can watch a recording here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRettGNxQRM
I was also invited to attend a reception last Saturday for Sen. Mark Kelly and his wife Gabby Giffords. They were in town for the weekend and attended our Labor Day parade on Monday. Due to the timing and logistics I skipped both of those.
I meant to add that I've seen reports that networks have been warned not to show booing when Trump goes to the tennis game. Not a good sign when Dear Leader knows ahead of time that appearing in public will result in embarrassing booing. And it will show up on YouTube anyway.
I was so happy to see the economy and democracy tied for first place in that NBC poll. I’m tired of media pundits saying it’s not enough for Democrats to be “anti-Trump.” At the same time, I was impressed by Sherrill’s ad promising help with utilities. This somewhat resembles Mamdani’s focus on affordability. I’ve come to believe it may be good to offer what I think of as a deliverable—some type of change that can be done quickly so voters have an immediate sense their lives are improving.
I just caught the interview with Dan Goldman. I’ve long admired him. Outstanding explanation of the extreme negative impacts of the outrageous rollback of the IRA’s clean energy tax credits, among other things. Really important interview.
Sherill interview was so great, with so much positivity and enthusiasm, I just made another donation (and one to Spanberger, too.) These two candidates are everything the Democratic Party wants and needs--tough, smart, articulate, great at listening to voters and designing policies based on that input. Have no doubt they will do an excellent job when elected. Thanks, Simon, for continuing to promote them and having them talk with Hopium subscribers.
The Democrats need to vote no this time on the budget. We cannot support funding this government. Bring it on. Enough is enough. Ezra Klein says it all on his YouTube show post on Sunday: Stop Acting Like This is Normal
I immediately went to "Fighting Trump Now -- Some recommendations for Congressional Democrats."
This Congress has three weeks to pass a budget bill -- and they can't do it without Democratic support. I have to believe this is going to be a BIG Beautiful item for discussion in many parts. During the previous budget negotiations in mid-March, compelling arguments were made about the risk of a shutdown. (Do those arguments hold water now?)
When confronted with an approval rating above 40%, I have to wonder about any American who would approve someone gloating -- "Chipocalypse" -- about unleashing the military on one of our cities. Brushing up on how to deal with "mass psychosis."
My MAGA Congressman here in Georgia posted earlier in the week -- his most recent post -- about the end of World War Two. "On this date in 1945, the Japanese surrendered on the battleship USS Missouri.
Later in the week, I replied: On this date in 2025, 500 South Koreans surrendered to ICE forces at a Hyundai plant near Savannah. And what a wonderful way for us all to show appreciation for the massive investment the Koreans have made in Georgia.
Fund raising is really down for Democratic Congressional Committees. This is an indication that many Democrats , me included, do not have confidence in the party leadership to be courageous and have a plan and stick with it. Many of us will give to courageous candidates but not to the party unless it stands up.
For anyone who wants an easy way to donate directly to candidates and know that the money is going to the candidates**, I recommend: blue26.org
Charles Gaba is the founder of this site (it used to be blue24.org). You may recall that Simon interviewed him a while back.
He is very transparent about what he is doing, is NOT a PAC and doesn't get a dime out of it. He was on the Markers for Democracy Zoom on Friday and he did disclose that last cycle one of the candidates who got a lot of contributions from his site did send him 2 t-shirts and a coffee mug - unsolicited by him). 😉
** ActBlue does take a cut as a processing fee (similar to what is paid to banks to process credit card transactions. IIRC ActBlue gets 4% and the candidate gets 96%.
I see signs that the DNC and state committees are picking up steam. For example, the Finance Committee had a zoom call this past week, with Mikie, however, there was also a strategist from the DNC who talked about what they’re seeing in the election, and how the are field testing some ideas. Ken Martin kicked it off. It was a really well done event and Mikie was fantastic. In Virginia, I received a request to write postcards, and the request said that Democrats were contending in all 100 races for the state legislature. That is really great news, so of course, I agreed to write. They are having Monday night postcard meetings, and the candidates will attend. One last thing – I received the customary newsletters from my state Senator and assemblywoman and I have not read such ‘head in the sand’ non news in a long time. I will be calling them tomorrow.
⬆️"In Virginia, I received a request to write postcards, and the request said that Democrats were contending in all 100 races for the state legislature. That is really great news, so of course, I agreed to write".
Absolutely true, but I would contend that is the result of the VA Democratic party and the DNC had nothing to do with it. This was obviously in the works long before Ken Martin assumed his current role.
⬆️"They are having Monday night postcard meetings, and the candidates will attend."
These are being co-sponsored by a number of Grassroots organizations From the link below:
This event is being put on by a who's who of Virginia Grassroots: Network NOVA, Friday Power Lunch, Virginia Grassroots Coalition, Rural GroundGame, COVA Coalition and the National Women's Political Caucus of Virginia. The key groups organizing the postcard writing are Postcards4VA and Markers for Democracy. Our phone bank partner is Grassroots Democrats HQ.
Yes, I wasn’t clear — in Virginia the work is being done by the state committee, the Zoom I attended regarding New Jersey was sponsored by the DNC. My comment is that all are picking up steam. I was not attempting to attribute the postcard initiative to the committees. Appreciate your comment.
Thanks for the clarifications. Grassroots groups tend to get the short shrift and IMO, the DNC has often been one of the worst offenders for not clearly giving credit where credit was due. I am hoping that has changed with Ken Martin at the helm, but it remains a hot button for many grassroots activists - including me.
Hope the bit about focusing on families is just Mikie speaking informally and not in her campaign ads. It gave me a mental shudder as a reminder of James Hobbs far right "Christian" movement. I live just outside Colorado Springs, so maybe I'm just more easily triggered by that phrase than most.
I don't know, I think it has a use, especially if you brand "family" in the right way. Remember, you are trying to pick off everyone you can.
And I think, given our support of pro-childcare policies, we ought to have a better claim to the family mantle than any conservative that just cut the rug out from under working families with the Big Beautiful Con.
Just listened to Graham Platner interviewed on BTC podcast. It was really good. Will you be interviewing him soon? I understand he's not a Dem establishment candidate, so I don't know where your position is on that. I just want people who can win, and Graham is winning.
Ron Filipowski of MeidasTouch has been covering Platner’s campaign and has encouraging things to say about how Platner is an ideal candidate for Maine because of the way he can connect with the unique combination of socio-cultural characteristics that make Maine Maine. Wouldn’t necessarily be the right candidate for somewhere else, but is a great candidate for Maine, is Filipowski’s take. :)
I heard Filipkowski also. I think we need to get behind people who can win in their territory. Period. I do understand the party not liking people who include negative comments about their own party, which apparently Platner has done, but I think they just have to get over that and back the winning candidate. The party would look much stronger if they would do that.,
For sure. And critique isn’t the same thing as opposition, right? Critique and the freedom to critique are patriotic. It allows the free flow of ideas and empowers us to improve. We shouldn’t be afraid to critique our party or leaders within our party who engage in critique. We’re not a cult. 💪🏻
I don’t mind the non-establishment part, but he says things that just aren’t true about the Democratic Party. For example, that neither party has ever done a thing for the people. He seems to be surfing on that negativity we talk about.
I get that. But on the whole I think the party would be more widely accepted and look more like mature adults if they would just back the winner and work with them. Some of the negativity is justified. When Dems get into office they don't do much, even when they have the whip in their hands. There are a few exceptions of course, but overall Dems in Congress are not fighters.
I donated to Mikie Sherrill campaign yesterday. This is the strong, young and fearless type of leadership that we need in the Democratic Party right now . Every time I donate to a campaign, attend a town hall, rally, march or sign wave, send letters to congressional leadership, it eases the anxiety, depression or demoralized feelings. I know that our shoutouts against the Trump regime are hitting the mark, so I will continue to attend (mostly in the DC area).
Getting out for lunch I’ll watch later. Nice to see her, I’ve got 50 postcards ready to mail for NJ. Latest batch I am doing now is AK.
Thanks for writing postcards!
I have been focusing on writing for VA races for several reasons:
1) There are a lot of postcard campaigns from which to choose:
* Postcards for VA (https://postcards4va.com/)
* Postcards for Democracy (https://postcards.markersfordemocracy.org/)
* Postcards to Swing States GOTV campaign -this campaign also have postcards for NJ and PA ( https://postcards.markersfordemocracy.org/)
* Postcards for Swing States Nes Boosting postcards (VA Only): https://secure.everyaction.com/q6C58scJOUeWJJy_rcEQkA2
2) Early Voting in VA starts Sept 19 (less than 2 weeks from now!!) and I would like to see fanstastic early vote numbers! NOTE: the first two postcard options shown above focus on getting out the early vote!
3) The VA Dems managed to recruit Democrats for every single seat, so the potential to widen their narrow margin in the House of Delegates and flip the races at the top of the ticket looks pretty good to me. Probably the best chance since 2017.
But I will be looking at oppotunities going forward to help with NJ and PA. Activate America's postcard page (https://www.activateamerica.vote/postcards) indicates that new campaigns are coming soon for both states. They do have ample names and addresses for CA in support of passing Prop 50 aka the Election Rigging Response Act (ERRA).
Thank you. I think many of us have been feeling demoralized, and it is good to see numbers like those you have provided. I'd like to see the addition of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court retention election also coming up in November in your conversations. They have three Democrats up for re-election and, I believe, the Republicans are pouring money into that race. Would you be able to provide some discussion of this? I am not a PA person but watch these State Supreme Court races closely. This one seems important.
⬆️"I am not a PA person but watch these State Supreme Court races closely. This one seems important".
I agree! For anyone interested in putting in some time helping with the PA races, here are my suggestions:
Vote Forward has letter-writing compaigns in support of the PA Supreme Court races. For more info on how to get started with Vote Forward: https://votefwd.org/instructions
In addition, Swing left Philadelphis is hosting two Vote Forward letting righting zooms on Sept. 15th and 29th: https://www.mobilize.us/swingleft/event/812534/
Promote the Vote is hosting phonebanks for the PA Election on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, 4-6 p.m ET.: https://www.mobilize.us/promotethevotepa/event/805547
Turn PA Blue is also hosting phonebanks Tuesdays and Sundays, 6-8 p.m ET: https://www.mobilize.us/turnpablue/event/823746
Thank you for all of this information, Cheryl. I will pass this to others and get to work.
I just finished 20 GOTV letters to PA voters, through Vote Forward, regarding the November elections of three State Supreme Court Justices. 22% of their goal has been met. 840,000+ letters still need to go out by Tuesday, October 28. Easy activism! 🗳️🇺🇸 www.votefwd.org
When someone brings up Pennsylvania, I like to input that out of their seventeen members to the People's House, TEN are MAGA traitors. The state is governed by a Democrat.
By comparison, California has NINE traitors out of a total of 52 reps.
Only FOUR seats total determine the balance of power in the House. FOUR.
And people seem to accept they have NO POWER to change this prior to an election!!!!! If they believe that, of course there is no way to prove them wrong.
After sending donations through Hopium link I got a, in my experience unique, thank you email from Jon Ossoff. Just thanking and not asking for more. Very refreshing.
I got a similar thank you note from Roy Cooper!
I donated to both Roy Cooper and Jon Ossoff (the latter for an in-person meet and greet here in Charlotte), and I got Thank-you notes from both of them.
You are going to meet our Georgia senator Jon Ossoff... In North Carolina??!!
Well, paint me green and call me "Gumby."
I already did -- at a private residence. I don't know if my invitation was due my small monthy donation to his campaign or the fact that I attended a fundraiser last fall for Jeff Jackson which was hosted by the same couple.
Charlotte is a happening place to be in Democratic circles.
I attended a town hall earlier this summer with Beto O'Rourke and NCDP Chair Anderson Clayton. That was great! You can watch a recording here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRettGNxQRM
I was also invited to attend a reception last Saturday for Sen. Mark Kelly and his wife Gabby Giffords. They were in town for the weekend and attended our Labor Day parade on Monday. Due to the timing and logistics I skipped both of those.
(Doing my best Chris Farley here):
"That is just ... awesome!!!"
Same here. A postcard in the mail from Roy Cooper. I appreciated that.
me too!
He is just the best! :)
Simon, thanks for the great interview with Mikie; she looks like a fantastic governor. Fingers crossed for her.
I'm writing postcards to Virginia voters today and then attending a local Dem meet & greet.
I meant to add that I've seen reports that networks have been warned not to show booing when Trump goes to the tennis game. Not a good sign when Dear Leader knows ahead of time that appearing in public will result in embarrassing booing. And it will show up on YouTube anyway.
I was so happy to see the economy and democracy tied for first place in that NBC poll. I’m tired of media pundits saying it’s not enough for Democrats to be “anti-Trump.” At the same time, I was impressed by Sherrill’s ad promising help with utilities. This somewhat resembles Mamdani’s focus on affordability. I’ve come to believe it may be good to offer what I think of as a deliverable—some type of change that can be done quickly so voters have an immediate sense their lives are improving.
I just caught the interview with Dan Goldman. I’ve long admired him. Outstanding explanation of the extreme negative impacts of the outrageous rollback of the IRA’s clean energy tax credits, among other things. Really important interview.
Sherill interview was so great, with so much positivity and enthusiasm, I just made another donation (and one to Spanberger, too.) These two candidates are everything the Democratic Party wants and needs--tough, smart, articulate, great at listening to voters and designing policies based on that input. Have no doubt they will do an excellent job when elected. Thanks, Simon, for continuing to promote them and having them talk with Hopium subscribers.
Yep, they are two of a kind - both badasses who work hard!
Interesting news story about the Trump economy in Colorado. People are finally waking up: https://www.denverpost.com/2025/09/06/tariffs-economy-colorado-business/?share=nafp2e9sbtvpcdpf0rrp
The Democrats need to vote no this time on the budget. We cannot support funding this government. Bring it on. Enough is enough. Ezra Klein says it all on his YouTube show post on Sunday: Stop Acting Like This is Normal
I'm glad someone else posted about the budget. Could this become a much needed national dialogue?
Yep, agree. So many folks think the $ battle is over bc of Big Ugly, but until it's allocated, we can and must fight it!
I immediately went to "Fighting Trump Now -- Some recommendations for Congressional Democrats."
This Congress has three weeks to pass a budget bill -- and they can't do it without Democratic support. I have to believe this is going to be a BIG Beautiful item for discussion in many parts. During the previous budget negotiations in mid-March, compelling arguments were made about the risk of a shutdown. (Do those arguments hold water now?)
When confronted with an approval rating above 40%, I have to wonder about any American who would approve someone gloating -- "Chipocalypse" -- about unleashing the military on one of our cities. Brushing up on how to deal with "mass psychosis."
My MAGA Congressman here in Georgia posted earlier in the week -- his most recent post -- about the end of World War Two. "On this date in 1945, the Japanese surrendered on the battleship USS Missouri.
Later in the week, I replied: On this date in 2025, 500 South Koreans surrendered to ICE forces at a Hyundai plant near Savannah. And what a wonderful way for us all to show appreciation for the massive investment the Koreans have made in Georgia.
Fund raising is really down for Democratic Congressional Committees. This is an indication that many Democrats , me included, do not have confidence in the party leadership to be courageous and have a plan and stick with it. Many of us will give to courageous candidates but not to the party unless it stands up.
Can you share the links and data you are referring to?
https://youtu.be/W3-0SpkF-V0?si=WxvMY6BVeP_PkbHm
I do have confidence in the DNC, but want clarity from the big campaign committees that are not related to Mothership.
Here is a reference for those not yet familiar with the Mothership scam:
https://grassrootsconnector.substack.com/p/political-spam-pacs-are-as-bad-as
For anyone who wants an easy way to donate directly to candidates and know that the money is going to the candidates**, I recommend: blue26.org
Charles Gaba is the founder of this site (it used to be blue24.org). You may recall that Simon interviewed him a while back.
He is very transparent about what he is doing, is NOT a PAC and doesn't get a dime out of it. He was on the Markers for Democracy Zoom on Friday and he did disclose that last cycle one of the candidates who got a lot of contributions from his site did send him 2 t-shirts and a coffee mug - unsolicited by him). 😉
** ActBlue does take a cut as a processing fee (similar to what is paid to banks to process credit card transactions. IIRC ActBlue gets 4% and the candidate gets 96%.
wow, so sad the ppl being taken advantage of. Thank you so much for your post and links.
I see signs that the DNC and state committees are picking up steam. For example, the Finance Committee had a zoom call this past week, with Mikie, however, there was also a strategist from the DNC who talked about what they’re seeing in the election, and how the are field testing some ideas. Ken Martin kicked it off. It was a really well done event and Mikie was fantastic. In Virginia, I received a request to write postcards, and the request said that Democrats were contending in all 100 races for the state legislature. That is really great news, so of course, I agreed to write. They are having Monday night postcard meetings, and the candidates will attend. One last thing – I received the customary newsletters from my state Senator and assemblywoman and I have not read such ‘head in the sand’ non news in a long time. I will be calling them tomorrow.
⬆️"In Virginia, I received a request to write postcards, and the request said that Democrats were contending in all 100 races for the state legislature. That is really great news, so of course, I agreed to write".
Absolutely true, but I would contend that is the result of the VA Democratic party and the DNC had nothing to do with it. This was obviously in the works long before Ken Martin assumed his current role.
⬆️"They are having Monday night postcard meetings, and the candidates will attend."
These are being co-sponsored by a number of Grassroots organizations From the link below:
This event is being put on by a who's who of Virginia Grassroots: Network NOVA, Friday Power Lunch, Virginia Grassroots Coalition, Rural GroundGame, COVA Coalition and the National Women's Political Caucus of Virginia. The key groups organizing the postcard writing are Postcards4VA and Markers for Democracy. Our phone bank partner is Grassroots Democrats HQ.
NOTE: not all of them are on Monday.
Register here:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/16SJhlSHy9Aq_oqyV4XpqlsTS3n5fepLlysaGiSswoic/edit?tab=t.0
Yes, I wasn’t clear — in Virginia the work is being done by the state committee, the Zoom I attended regarding New Jersey was sponsored by the DNC. My comment is that all are picking up steam. I was not attempting to attribute the postcard initiative to the committees. Appreciate your comment.
Thanks for the clarifications. Grassroots groups tend to get the short shrift and IMO, the DNC has often been one of the worst offenders for not clearly giving credit where credit was due. I am hoping that has changed with Ken Martin at the helm, but it remains a hot button for many grassroots activists - including me.
Hope the bit about focusing on families is just Mikie speaking informally and not in her campaign ads. It gave me a mental shudder as a reminder of James Hobbs far right "Christian" movement. I live just outside Colorado Springs, so maybe I'm just more easily triggered by that phrase than most.
I don't know, I think it has a use, especially if you brand "family" in the right way. Remember, you are trying to pick off everyone you can.
And I think, given our support of pro-childcare policies, we ought to have a better claim to the family mantle than any conservative that just cut the rug out from under working families with the Big Beautiful Con.
Just listened to Graham Platner interviewed on BTC podcast. It was really good. Will you be interviewing him soon? I understand he's not a Dem establishment candidate, so I don't know where your position is on that. I just want people who can win, and Graham is winning.
Ron Filipowski of MeidasTouch has been covering Platner’s campaign and has encouraging things to say about how Platner is an ideal candidate for Maine because of the way he can connect with the unique combination of socio-cultural characteristics that make Maine Maine. Wouldn’t necessarily be the right candidate for somewhere else, but is a great candidate for Maine, is Filipowski’s take. :)
I heard Filipkowski also. I think we need to get behind people who can win in their territory. Period. I do understand the party not liking people who include negative comments about their own party, which apparently Platner has done, but I think they just have to get over that and back the winning candidate. The party would look much stronger if they would do that.,
For sure. And critique isn’t the same thing as opposition, right? Critique and the freedom to critique are patriotic. It allows the free flow of ideas and empowers us to improve. We shouldn’t be afraid to critique our party or leaders within our party who engage in critique. We’re not a cult. 💪🏻
I don’t mind the non-establishment part, but he says things that just aren’t true about the Democratic Party. For example, that neither party has ever done a thing for the people. He seems to be surfing on that negativity we talk about.
I get that. But on the whole I think the party would be more widely accepted and look more like mature adults if they would just back the winner and work with them. Some of the negativity is justified. When Dems get into office they don't do much, even when they have the whip in their hands. There are a few exceptions of course, but overall Dems in Congress are not fighters.
Writing postcards to VA Rural voters- for VA Delegate race- Postcards4VA.com
Made a donation to Mikie Sherrill. For once I remembered to go through Hopium’s fundraiser instead of googling the candidate’s campaign page.
I donated to Mikie Sherrill campaign yesterday. This is the strong, young and fearless type of leadership that we need in the Democratic Party right now . Every time I donate to a campaign, attend a town hall, rally, march or sign wave, send letters to congressional leadership, it eases the anxiety, depression or demoralized feelings. I know that our shoutouts against the Trump regime are hitting the mark, so I will continue to attend (mostly in the DC area).