Trump Hits New Polling Low, Putin's Sad Parade, Magyar Takes Control In Hungary, Expanding Our Maps
Pissed about the GOP's ongoing assault on our democracy? Help us flip two state Supreme Court seats in Georgia on May 19th......
Greetings all. I have the privilege of joining my son Willie for a cycling race he is competing in today so a shorter than usual post.
We held a series of in-depth discussions this week about the big topics of the day that will make good weekend watching or listening:
We talked about the need for Democrats to expand their maps, and invest and compete on a much larger playing field with two battleground state party chairs Charlie Bailey of Georgia and Eric Croft of Alaska
We talked about the significance of Trump and Putin failing to win their wars with Stuart Stevens and historian Phillips O’Brien
We talked about flipping House seats in Virginia no matter the map with our terrific candidate in VA-02, Elaine Luria
And I did my best to make sense of it all in my weekly strategy talk, Democrats Are Expanding Our Maps, And Competing In Hard To Win Places
Lots in these talks to chew on, wrestle with this weekend.
A few other things that caught my eye:
The DNC’s grassroots publication The Blue Print had a terrific update on When We Count, the partisan voter registration test under way in Arizona
The Washington Post looks into the growing threat to the world’s food supply from Trump’s failed war, Iran war is crushing Asia’s farmers, threatening global food supply
Peter Magyar officially became the Prime Minister of Hungary today:
Putin held his sad little parade in Moscow this morning:
Trump has fallen to his lowest level in the FiftyPlusOne job approval tracker:
And it isn’t only his hands that are small:
Now, Let’s Get To Work People!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Winning The Midterms, Competing In Red States and Red Places, Expanding The Map
Rallying For Jen Jordan and Miracle Rankin For Georgia Supreme Court - This is our next big opportunity to make good trouble all. The Election is May 19th, early voting has begun, and we have 2 great candidates, Jen Jordan and Miracle Rankin, who have a serious shot at flipping two GOP-held Supreme Court seats. Watch our new interview with Jordan and Rankin, donate to their campaign, and volunteer no matter where you are! We’ve now raised $33,100 towards our $50,000 goal!
Hopium’s Winning The House Campaign (2026) - $657,100 raised, $1,000,000 goal (new ambitious, audacious even, q2 goal) - Donate to all twelve of our endorsed House challengers with one click | Get to know Jamie Ager (NC-11), Christina Bohannan (IA-01), Paige Cognetti (PA-08), Rebecca Cooke (WI-03), Elaine Luria (VA-02), Sean McCann (MI-04), Jo Mendoza (AZ-06), Chaz Molder (TN-05), Janelle Stelson (PA-10), Shannon Taylor (VA-01), and Sarah Trone Garriott (IA-03) by watching our recently recorded Hopium interviews.
James Talarico For Texas - $68,000 raised, $250,000 - Donate | Volunteer and Learn More | Enjoy my inspiring interview with Rep. Talarico as he fights to turn Texas blue.
Mary Peltola For Alaska Senate - $89,600 raised, $250,000 goal - Donate | Volunteer and Learn More | Enjoy my uplifting conversation with Mary Peltola as she fights to turn Alaska blue.
Winning Ohio - $137,600 raised, $250,000 goal - Our new campaign splits contributions evenly among Sherrod Brown, the Acton/Pepper ticket, and the Ohio Democratic Party | Donate today and help us turn this critical 2026 battleground blue | Watch my new discussions with US Senate candidate Sherrod Brown, Lt. Gov candidate David Pepper, and Ohio Dem Chair Kathleen Clyde.
This total includes $21,000 sent by a Hopium community member directly to each of our three Buckeye State partners!
Hopium’s Audacious Expansion Fund - $555,700 raised, $1,000,000 goal (new stretch 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 | Catch interviews with the five intrepid state chairs leading their troops into battle this year - will get you fired up! | Contribute to all five state parties with one contribution split evenly among these five new battlegrounds.
Many thanks to two generous Hopium community members who have audaciously donated $20,000 to each of our five state parties over the past two years.
Roy Cooper for NC Senate (2026) - $110,800 raised, $250,000 goal - Donate | Learn More | Volunteer | Enjoy my new discussion with Gov. Cooper as he fights to turn North Carolina blue.
Jon Ossoff GA Senate (2026) - $173,200 raised, $250,000 goal - Donate | Learn More | Volunteer | Enjoy my inspiring conversation with Senator Ossoff.
Advocate For The Hopium Agenda/Pass Resolutions Of Condemnation In Your Community/Winning In An Evolving Battlefield
There are a few more ways to go to work in the coming days - call your leaders and advocate for elements of our working, ever evolving Hopium Agenda; bring resolutions that condemn our Mad King and lets facts be spoken to a candid world to your state or local government; and learn how you can help us win in evolving political and electoral battlefield this year.
Here’s our working, evolving Post-Iran Disaster Agenda:
Work to end this new gulf war and Trump’s Imperial global ambitions
Support Ukraine and Europe, not Russia
Roll back the new, illegal tariffs
Rescind the Trump tax cuts, claw back the extra ICE funding, fund the IRS so it can collect the taxes the rich are hiding from us
Launch a major anti-corruption, renewing democracy campaign, one that ensures accountability for the crimes and treason committed, limits the political power of our emerging oligarchy, and strengthens democracy here and everywhere
Make the US a clean energy superpower, fight for true energy independence, and lower utility and energy prices for the American people
Rein in ICE, end Mass Deportation
End Trump’s destructive war on science, research, our health scare system and our public Health
Make clear to American farmers that we want to end the failed war, repeal the terrible tariffs, find legal pathways for farm workers, and make health care and energy more affordable
Please use the paid subscriber chat to self-report the good trouble you make each day.
Keep working hard all. We have a country to save and elections to win, together! - Simon
I've already written and mailed 10 postcards for the Georgia Supreme Court race today.
Simon, thank you for this encouraging newsletter. Today is my 39th bday and I’m celebrating a dual celebration between today and Mother’s Day tomorrow with my mom and uncle in NYC. Love my home state of MD but hard to beat NYC 😉. On my bday, I still tuned in here cuz this community means a great deal to me as does the future of our democracy.
I donated today to Cooper’s campaign through our site and plan to spread that love over the course of the week to our other candidates. To you and the community, I’d like to say how deeply grateful I am to be part of this family and to see the hard work via your leadership pay off against the seemingly insurmountable challenges.
At 39, I’m proud to say my first eligible Presidential vote was for our first African American President (although my very first primary vote was for Hilary and I’ll always be proud to have made my first vote for a woman, often feeling ahead of my time). I’m deeply proud to have supported Harris and especially in connection with this community, and plan/hope to see her get her flowers one way or another in our lifetime (at least as the next AG if not President).
As a Marylander, I’m proud to have our state’s first African American Governor, to live in close proximity to both VA and NJ’ first Female Governors, and to PA’ exceptional Jewish Governor in Shapiro. THAT is America to me all in the span of just a few states! To see and experience that representation, particularly as a Jewish Democrat and member of the LGBTQ community…keeps within me great cautious optimism and hope in spite of all we currently face. While still neurotic and concerned as I’m only human, at the same time, I have a dose of that ‘Biden optimism’ in that against the odds, I’ve never been more optimistic about our future.
The resistance we see building, the movement, the organization, the over performance, the momentum towards a modern day revolution of sorts…it’s growing in front of our very eyes even when it’s difficult to see. There are many good Republicans and Independents out there and we absolutely should embrace them as broadening the coalition will be necessary, not optional. That said, I feel especially proud to have our bench of Pro-Democracy warriors within the Democratic Party that not only includes you of course, but our Dem Governors, Attorneys General, Secretaries of State, and former Presidents, Vice Presidents, a number of current Senators, a number of current House members, and most certainly, our tireless attorneys like Elias. They ALL give me hope!
We’re more determined, more far-sighted (when working together), more passionate, compassionate, and more unified in our overarching mission. We WILL prevail and that will be a bday present well worth waiting to see come to fruition (as it’s already starting). Thank you and to the community for all of your leadership and tireless efforts. We will get through this together and reclaim our democracy. America is too big and too decentralized in the 21st century amidst the digital age. Time and circumstance is ACTUALLY on OUR side! Trust and believe that everyone. Power to the people. Love y’all ✌️💕.