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Oct 31, 2024Edited
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ArcticStones's avatar

Thanks for the link – but my guess is that Hopium isn’t the place for this anxiety.

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Oct 31, 2024Edited
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Dr. Steven Quest's avatar

Welcome. Mike Johnson is a synonym for Creepy Shit as far as I’m concerned. Ignore the noise and focus on what you can do to ensure a Harris Walz victory. Try to leave the anxiety at the door.

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Oct 31, 2024
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Dr. Steven Quest's avatar

These are difficult times. I’m focusing on a few things. Trump has done nothing to outreach to voters outside of his base and in fact keeps driving people away. Harris has raised a historic amount of money, most of it from small and/or first time voters. Her coalition includes everyone from AOC and Bernie to Dick Cheney. She has run a flawless, inspiring campaign. Women and the men who love them are concerned and angry post Dobbs. And unlike Trump, she has a real ground game. It’s all about turn out now, and her campaign has got that covered.

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Oct 31, 2024
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ArcticStones's avatar

Cypher, my suggestion is to see whether Marc Elias of Democracy Docket will weigh in on this. Elias is probably the foremost election lawyer in the country, and he and his team are working for the Democrats. Another notable expert to confer with is Rick Hasen, one of the finest election law experts. Both have notable blogs/websites.

Let me know if you need links. If so, I’ll find them and add them.

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Oct 31, 2024
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ArcticStones's avatar

You’re welcome, hope you get your answers. There may already be some on their excellent blogs. But I strongly suggest that Hopium is not the right forum for discussing the legalese of such extreme scenarios.

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Caroline's avatar

Elias, Brian Tyler Cohen and Congressman Jamie Raskin did a zoom last night that precisely addresses your question along with fantastic educational value on electoral processes

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Dr. Steven Quest's avatar

Thanks for this. I will note that Harris has stated in interviews that her team and the Democratic Party are prepared for MAGA fuckery. (She didn’t say it precisely like that but you get the point.) That means lots of money and a team of great lawyers ready to go. We’re not talking Alina Habba here. Again, I’d rather be us than them.

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Charles S's avatar

Both Johnson and Trump are tight with Christian nationalists. Trump went down to Georgia and had a bunch of ministers bless him a few days ago. Evangelical activist Ralph Reed is running a turnout operation in the battlegrounds that has supposedly contacted 8 million people. That may be their little "secret." Who knows. They're desperate to keep Dobbs in place. We have to keep getting our people to the polls and outvote them.

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B.K.'s avatar

If the House flips, all Mikey is going to be doing is passing the gavel to Hakeem Jeffries.

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Janet HB's avatar

Apparently their “secret” isn’t really so secret. We’ve got the best lawyers working on it. The election reform act will make a difference too.

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Oct 31, 2024
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B.K.'s avatar

She always walks like a total boss. Some people hold themselves with confidence and she is definitely one of those people.

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Oct 30, 2024
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B.K.'s avatar

At this point, I would not worry too much about the polls. In all of them, Harris is leading, tied, or down within the margin of error. Turnout is what matters now.

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Carl Frankel's avatar

That is an absurd finding. I think it can safely be ignored.

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Carolyn from IL's avatar

"an electorate that is only currently +2.5 Dem, and 7 points more R than 2020" Can someone help me understand what this means? TIA.

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Ben H's avatar

By party affiliation, Democrats are make up 2.5% more voters than Republicans, so far.

However, exit polling is saying of people who cast their votes, Harris-Walz leads by 20 points.

Thus, lots of independents and republicans are casting a lot of votes for VP Harris and Governor Walz.

Again, it’s polling which is fallible, but it’s very encouraging.

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Jon H's avatar

Where is the exit poll data source? Is this coming from internal campaign sources?

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Ben H's avatar

They’re within many of the large, reputable polls. Like, you have Registered Voters, Likely Voters (however they choose to model that), and confirmed voters who have already cast their ballot (a larger number over the past few elections since we’ve generally opened up the ease of early voting across the nation).

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Jon H's avatar

Understood. I just havent seen any data that illustrates casted votes with a 20+ Harris lead. Is that data available somewhere or is that more of an internal source.

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Carolyn from IL's avatar

Coincidentally, I just posed a similar question in the Comments section.

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Peter Luciano's avatar

Is there any breakout of these voters by battleground or by state.

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Ben H's avatar

Depends on the poll , state or national, and how transparent the pollster is. But you can take a reputable one and dig into the cross tabs and you can see.

That said, I don’t recommend doing this. The sample error of small groups can be quite high. Then you have other error sources. So again, take it with a grain of salt as a positive indicator and move on.

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Carolyn from IL's avatar

Ben, Do I understand correctly that you're saying the estimated 20+ point lead for Harris-Walz among the early vote could be way off?

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Ben H's avatar

Sure, it could be way off. It could also be spot on. We can’t know right now and that’s why we don’t fret or celebrate over polls.

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Faith Wilson's avatar

I believe that we had a +9.5 advantage nationwide in 2020 at this point, which is unsurprising given COVID. Despite this, there is strong evidence that we’re winning by - possibly - large margins, suggesting that there are a lot of R defections to us. Also, the high percentage of women voters is a good sign. Rs also seem to be cannabalizing more of their ED vote than we are.

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Carolyn from IL's avatar

Craig, could you point us to where this strong evidence is? I agree that the large numbers of women voters is a good sign, but apart from the gender gap, how does one infer whether voters are casting ballots for Harris or Trump?

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Faith Wilson's avatar

Most polls of early voters are showing Harris leading 2-1. If the party affiliation of early voters is virtually split evenly among D-R according to Tom Bonier, the only explanation is that a lot of those Rs are voting D. The gender split has been running about 55-44 female as well, which suggests women are driving that 2-1 split.

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Cleveresq's avatar

Now that I can’t postcard any more I plan to phone bank (Harris & Tester) or canvass locally every day. Volunteering to be a Dem poll watcher for EV this weekend. Also may try to help with ballot curing in NV. Working hard is the only thing that will make it possible for me to get to sleep for the next week!

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Aspenwood's avatar

Thx for a great road map of what i too need to do before pivoting to protect our victory Nov 6!

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M3333's avatar

Carolyn, more disaffected Republicans are voting for Harris and the Republicans who were told in 2020 to vote on Election Day by Adolph Hitler Trump are now voting 7% more in the early vote!

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Carolyn from IL's avatar

Thanks, Mark. But I still don't understand what this means: "an electorate that is only currently +2.5 Dem"

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Ben H's avatar

Of people who cast their votes, percentage of democrats - percentage of republicans equals +2.5%.

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ArcticStones's avatar

Schwarzenegger endorses Kamala Harris

"…I will always be an American before I am a Republican. That’s why, this week, I am voting for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz. I’m sharing it with all of you because I think there are a lot of you who feel like I do."

https://nitter.poast.org/Schwarzenegger/status/1851627802027758005#m

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Aspenwood's avatar

Bring it, Arnold! - late but welcome! Way better than Hulk H.

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Marc Stridiron's avatar

The Governator himself!

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Aspenwood's avatar

Spoken as a true immigrant - 1968 from Austria.

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Stephen Sepaniak's avatar

And he released a video after the January 6 assault in which he talked about growing up in a nation traumatized by fascism, like "Hey, MAGA, this is a road you really don't want to go down." The guy's not on our team but he hates Nazis.

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Aspenwood's avatar

Thanks for the reminder. That was a sobering and terrific video.

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RP2112's avatar

He's an interesting character. He's on our team for reproductive rights, global climate change, defending democracy abroad, freedom of (or FROM) religion, and respecting science. But he is mostly in favor of deregulation and contraction of the welfare state. He's a very Nixon-esque Republican, without the corruption and racism. He seems to be thoughtful, if not always correct, about his positions.

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Stephen Sepaniak's avatar

I bet he could have won the presidency if his foreign birth didn’t preclude that.

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RP2112's avatar

Certainly possible. From what I understand (I didn't live in CA at the time), he started out his governorship like a bull in a china shop. He took an immediately combative and adversarial stance with the Dems in the state legislature. However, he learned a lot from those battles, and eventually became a decent leader. He was willing to grow during his time in office. That says a lot.

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MrsCQ's avatar

As a Californian, I most likely wouldn't vote for him.

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Tim Perry's avatar

As a native Californian I might. Depending on the opposition. Gray Davis was no treat to me. In many ways Arnold and Jerry Brown are much alike.

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Tim Perry's avatar

Our team is all who support liberty and oppose fascism. Democracy is not an exclusive club for Democrats.

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Stephen Sepaniak's avatar

Fair point, it was a poor choice of words.

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RP2112's avatar

Awesome. This may be the second time Arnold helps defeat a Predator! :-)

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ArcticStones's avatar

Yup, defeat a Predator – who happens to be the offspring of an Alien (grandpa Friedrich Trump).

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SanPride's avatar

Great job Arnold! I hope more prominent people your courage.

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Carl Frankel's avatar

I look at the massive disconnect between the polling averages (close, close!) and the early voting performance to date (we're up by 20+ points in an electorate that is "only currently +2.5 Dem, and 7 points more R than 2020"), and I can only come to one conclusion. We are witnessing a massive case of political-party infidelity. Throughout the country and especially in the battleground states, Republicans are having polling-booth trysts with Kamala and Tim without saying boo about it to friends and family.

ETA: Republican pollster Bill McInturff said a few weeks ago that if we Dems have a lead in the mid-20s by the time Election Day rolls around, the Republicans won't be able to catch up. I assume he was using a 2020 baseline, which puts us at his number and perhaps well above.

This mass outbreak of infidelity is why we're gonna win this election.

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Jeanie's avatar

I also think the independents are voting for Harris in large numbers!

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Ira Glazer's avatar

Precisely.

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Rich Kōji Streitfeld's avatar

Carl, thanks for your great analyses. If you have time to quickly explain --how can one extrapolate, by the EV # -- that Republicans are defecting to such a great degree, when all we know is party registration and gender? Also -- "they cannot catch up" -- how do we know how that translates to the EC, especially PA, NC. How likely that we could be "up 20" and still lose PA? Thanks!

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Carl Frankel's avatar

In haste: If we're plus 3 in voter registration and plus 25 in voting, that differential can only come from a combination of indies and defecting R's. If we take the tally at 47-44-9 and give 6% to indies and 46% to us, and if we're up by 22 overall, the remaining 9% has to come from defecting Rs. That puts them at roughly 35--9, which means a defection rate of about 21%.

To your second question, I will confess to some perplexity about PA, especially the polling. PA usually runs in tandem with Wisconsin and Michigan. I also assume that the blue wall states will outperform the Sun Belt battlegrounds by a bit, and polls of actual voters have had us in a healthy lead in those three states. For all these reasons, I cannot help but be optimistic about PA. When there is a political wave, it sweeps over everything.

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Deborah Potter's avatar

I prefer to think of it as fidelity to America, preserving our democracy. It is a political movement.

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Carl Frankel's avatar

It makes me a moral relativist. Sometimes infidelity can be a good thing!

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Scott Christensen's avatar

Almost lost a keyboard on "polling booth trysts"

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Daniel Solomon's avatar

I still wonder whether Gen Z who have no voting history are "unlikely" voters, not included in RV or LV by pollsters?

READER ENGAGEMENT

1. Uncle Sam needs us! https://www.mobilize.us/

2. Please repeatedly post "not suckers or losers" comments in social media. According to Facebook, there are 4 million veterans and active duty members on Facebook, as well as 12.5 million family members and 242 million friends with veterans or active duty members. Military sites, veterans; organizations, historical sites.

3. The Democratic Party has databases that track w3. ho is registered and who has voted, so calling and canvassing should be limited to registered voters yet to vote in most states.

4. In some states. NC, MI, WI, MT, NV registrations remain open and FT 6 is still registering new Democrats. BYOP, free, is texting into MI, NC, NV, WI as I type...https://www.fieldteam6.org/free-byop-textbanks

Tomorrow FT 6 TextArcades will be texting 1400 for each $25 contribution. The recipients are not in voter databases so they don't get many political texts. https://secure.actblue.com/donate/ft6arcade24

FT 6 also has mass texting on Saturday. https://www.mobilize.us/ft6/

It also has a ballot curing website. https://www.fieldteam6.org/ballot-curing

Besides FT 6 I also text and call in other venues. E.G. I am texting into Pa today with Vorteriders via mobilize. https://www.mobilize.us/voteriders/

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Linda (Evanston IL)'s avatar

Swifties for Kamala also have texting and phone banking, with training provided.

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Daniel Solomon's avatar

Also Movement Labs, Leaders We Deserve, the David Hogg organization and others. I am am member of our local DEC, which has thousands of volunteers.

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Rebecca Rothman's avatar

you are doing amazing work. thank you!!!

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Rosemary Sellers's avatar

Voter registration is invaluable right now!!! Thank you. Some of the ballot curing opportunities that FT 6 offers are in-person, canvassing so click on the links because if you live in a swing state there is a whole lot of need for in-person, door to door canvassing. Lots of elderly people need help getting ballots cured (i.e. Nevada, Georgia, North Carolina).

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Brady's avatar

Did my first round of BYOP texting yesterday with FT6. Waiting on my google voice limit to reset, and I'll be back at it!

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Janice Fahy's avatar

Thank you, Brady!!!

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Linda (Evanston IL)'s avatar

I'm very grateful for all the motivation and education I have received here. When I get "anxious" I remember all of the Republicans for Harris all over the country, many actively canvassing, phone banking, and donating to the Harris-Walz campaign. I think about Liz Cheney, Adam Kinzinger, and Olivia Troye traveling all over on behalf of VP Harris. I also think about the over 700 National Security and Defense Officials who have endorsed VP Harris, many of whom are actively canvassing and phone banking for her. I think about our amazing ground game, all of the rallies, all the appearances on national TV. The fundraising is amazing and being well spent. These rallies and all this travel are very expensive. There is all the surrogate travel also. AOC and Bernie are fabulous surrogates, as are President Obama and Michelle Obama. I think of all the attorneys (such as Marc Elias and Elias Law Group) winning case after case against frivolous maga election lawsuits. Can we watch this evening's video tomorrow?

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Michael G Baer's avatar

Thanks for the summary Linda. It sounds like a "permission structure" to me. Republicans for Harris will turn a close race into a victory more commanding for the blue team and American democracy

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Paul Viersen's avatar

And let’s not forget a well earned round of applause to former Tea party himself Joe Walsh. Watch his Social Contract often. He has been traveling the country for Kamala.

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Janice Fahy's avatar

I'm telling you what - Joe Walsh has won me over.

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ArcticStones's avatar

EARLY VOTE – KEY STATES (new update)

(UPDATE, 9pm) Today, Arizona, surpassed 50% of their total 2020 turnout, thus joining Georgia, North Carolina, Nevada, Texas, Florida, Montana, Tennessee, South Dakota and New Mexico in reaching this milestone. Meanwhile, Georgia continues to up its game, soon approaching an astonishing 70% of their total vote in the 2020 election, while North Carolina and Tennessee are over 60%.

All in all, more than 59 million people have already voted. Over 31 million people have voted Early In-Person, while almost 28 million Mail Ballots have been returned.

Here are the vote totals so far, plus the 2024 Early Vote as a percentage of the Total 2020 Vote, for seven swing states plus Florida and Texas:

GA 69.3% 3,481,876<

NC 60.7% 3,367,548*

TX 59.1% 6,704,936

NV 56.1% 789,960

FL 55.8% 6,220,645*<

AZ 53.4% 1,826,892<

MI 39.4% 2,197,885

WI 33.5% 1,109,037

PA 22.2% 1,547,486

*) States that report party registration.

<) Updated now.

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ArcticStones's avatar

Other key states; MT/OH/NE are included because of vital Senate races:

MT 51.1% 312,814

VA 37.4% 1,692,388

OH 32.7% 1,952,112<

NE 27.7% 267,699

(Vote totals and percentages are from Prof. Michael McDonald’s Election Project, which in turn are based on official reports from the various Secretaries of State.)

<) Updated now.

https://election.lab.ufl.edu/early-vote/2024-early-voting/

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Stephen Sepaniak's avatar

It seems Pennsylvania's firewall is creeping up on 400,000.

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Peter Luciano's avatar

With so many D’s specifically stating they are voting ED 400K is a really good start.

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ArcticStones's avatar

Agreed – although for the first time it actually decreased by 1,739 votes.

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Karen Desjardin's avatar

As a reminder, 155 million people voted in 2020. My back of the envelope calculations figure that 165 million people will vote in 2024. In 2020, 10 million more women voted than men. (My numbers are from US Census web page analysis of the vote). If the gender gap remains high, I believe we'll win big.

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Daniel Solomon's avatar

Penetration by women and Gen Z.

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ssva's avatar

You keep including VA in your supplemental list-why is that?

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ArcticStones's avatar

I have included Virginia, Florida and Texas – three states that might be vulnerable in an extreme Blue Wave or Red Wave election. Although that is seen as unlikely.

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ssva's avatar

Thanks-are you saying Kaine is more vulnerable than other Senators given "an extreme red wave election?" Why are/have you been singling out Virginia? Seems never to have been a concern here with Simon? Just wondering if you are privy to some factual basis for your concern?

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ArcticStones's avatar

Not privy to any other information. And, no, I’m not concerned about VA.

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Ben H's avatar

These early vote totals are wild. Looking like it’s going to be a record setting turnout.

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B.K.'s avatar

Thank you for the daily update! Always appreciated.

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Peter Luciano's avatar

Early vote analysis cannot simply be R vs D. I’m hoping, actually assuming that Indy’s will break more for D’s than R’s and I believe there will be many more R defections to Harris (Haley type voters) than D’s to Trump. The math is with D’s as long as they turn out and I think they will.

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Peter Luciano's avatar

Any idea 2020 vs 2024 at a similar time in number days to election where these numbers were.

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ArcticStones's avatar

2020 was a pandemic year, with many people exercising caution and voting early, so it is not comparable to 2024.

That said, Tom Bonier’s TargetEarly (TargetSmart) allows you to make these and other comparisons comparisons. Check out the dashboard, with lots of pull-down choices on the right.

https://targetearly.targetsmart.com

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John K's avatar

Last night's speech was spectacular, especially from a visual standpoint. In many ways, it reminded me of President Obama's appearance in Grant Park after he won the 2008 election. The big stage, the huge crowd, even the small flags that people were waving. Kudos to a campaign team that knows what they are doing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TR-sn2vzmFQ

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Ben H's avatar

Great speech, setting, and crowd. Feels like a strong closing argument even ignoring DJT’s being a hate rally.

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Jane in NC's avatar

When I watched VP Harris last night speaking in front of the White House, I saw a soon-to-be president. Her line about all of us deciding who walks through those doors in 90 days really brought the stakes of this election home. Are we going to allow a guy to enter the White House carrying an enemies list? Or are we going to send a joyful warrior holding her to-do list? Powerful stuff.

Also, I'm more grateful than I can say to Kamala Harris for reclaiming the Ellipse for decent, patriotic Americans. We've got this! Now, let's go win it!

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AlwaysDemBlue1965's avatar

I feel - again, my feelings based on what I've been watching and reading (certainly not from the legacy media) - that we're going to blow this out. So many GOPer voters are coming out loud and proud for Kalama and as one of the Bulwark's recent podcasts said, we have a coalition from Bernie and AOC to the Cheneys! There are also so many GOPer voting groups against Trump as well and I think the early GOPer voting is for Harris/Walz and even down ballot Dems, again, based on what I've been watching and reading on Independent and GOPer pods on YouTube as well as on people's comments in the political subreddits I read.

I'm feeling really good about next Wednesday being historic and will be staying up all night to watch the returns not only for the national election but for my state's elections as well. VoteBlueNoMatterWho2024💙💙💙

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Jason's avatar

I read the transcript of the speech last night and watched it this morning. She looks so presidential and a stark contrast to January 6 and Trump's Sunday hate rally. Let's finish strong!

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