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Friends, excited to introduce you all to Aaron Ford, the Attorney General of Nevada, who is in a very strong position to take back a governor’s mansion for us this November. "We have here a “Lombardo-Trump economy,” that has been decimating small businesses because of the illegal tariffs that Donald Trump instituted early on. And when I tell you that Joe Lombardo has kowtowed and capitulated, he’s done exactly that even from the beginning — instead of standing up to Trump against these unlawful tariffs, he’s had the nerve to tell our residents they should maybe feel a little pain from these tariffs. I said, we don’t need pain, we need leadership. That’s why we sued. And we won. Even though we’ve now won twice now, our own governor has said that people “don’t deserve refunds” from these lawsuits. At the end of the day, to me, that is proof positive of why he no longer deserves to be in office." "As attorneys general, we’ve been able to preserve our democracy relative to the right to vote — I have co-led several lawsuits, two most recent ones related to executive orders, and the work the U.S. Postal Service tried to do. We won in the Supreme Court. Mail-in voting is secure, and we’re so happy about that. We will continue to stand up and be a bulwark against a federal government, again, hellbent on undermining our rights." Enjoy the episode, share it with others, consider making a contribution to the Ford campaign, and keep working hard all. For we have a country to save, and elections like this one in Nevada to win, together - Simon

Greetings all. Excited to share a new recording from the live discussion I held earlier today with Josh Turek, our inspiring candidate in a very strong position to flip a Senate seat in Iowa this November. This was an important and timely conversation, for it’s clear that the map has deteriorated for Senate Republicans, and they’ve decided to make a stand in Iowa. As Josh tells us, this morning the Senate GOP SuperPAC announced a massive new $20 million buy to augment their existing $33m buy - yikes! $53m is an enormous amount of money for a state as small as Iowa. Rep. Turek is one of our very best candidates of the cycle. He has a proven track record of winning in red places in Iowa; he won his very competitive primary by more than 20 points; he leads in the last two independent polls in Iowa by 3 and 8 points. With adequate resources he can win here and help us flip the U.S. Senate, particularly as his opponent is a GOP congresswoman who has taken all the bad votes House members have taken this year - the tariffs, the war, barbaric cuts to health care, and huge tax cuts for billionaires. Friends, spend time with this update on of our most important races, share this interview with others, consider giving to help Josh win, and keep working hard everyone. We have a country to save, and elections like this one in Iowa to win, together! - Simon

Greetings everyone. Republicans are fighting harder to retain NY-17 than they are in perhaps any other House district in the country - it’s why we need to rally for our terrific candidate Cait Conley and help her win! Here’s Cait on how she was trained to run toward danger, not run from it (and one reason she has turned out to be such a strong candidate): "So in the special ops world where I spent the majority of my career — as actually one of the first women to lead in special ops — there’s a saying that you run to the sound of the guns. What that means is if there is a fight somewhere, there is an expectation and responsibility for you to go to that fight. And to be there and to do the right thing, to fight back. To not shy away from danger, but to run towards it. To show courage. And that is what this moment is all about. Our country needs us in this moment of crisis to step up and choose courage and fight back." Friends, enjoy this update from Cait Conley, another one of our inspiring candidates leaving it all out there on the playing field for us this cycle. Share this interview with others, throw a contribution her way, and keep working hard all. We have a country to save, and elections like this one in NY-17 to win this November, together! - Simon

Greetings all. I’m excited to share a recording from the live discussion I held today with Mayor of Scranton Paige Cognetti, who gave us an update on her spirited race to flip PA-8 in Northeastern Pennsylvania. This was Paige’s third time joining us, and as you will hear if you haven’t met the mayor yet she is one of our very best and most compelling candidates of the cycle. "There's a true cost to corruption. And we are fighting every single day here in Pennsylvania's 8th District to make sure that we take that anger and that energy and that advocacy to Washington in January." Friends, enjoy this update from Mayor Paige Cognetti, and let’s do what we can to help bring another proven leader of good character and strong values to the halls of Congress next year. Please share this episode with others, throw a contribution Paige’s way, and keep working hard everyone. We have a country to save, and elections like this one in Pennsylvania to win this November, together! - Simon

Greetings all. One of our favorite candidates of the cycle checked in yesterday from battleground Pennsylvania where we are fighting to win four House seats for Democrats this November. I’m excited to bring to you today Bob Brooks, our terrific candidate working hard to flip PA-7. This district is one of our best pick up opportunities in the country. In 2024, Republican congressman Ryan Mackenzie, then a challenger, won by only 4,000 votes here. "I’ve been here since 1992 and made this my community. I came down here and I went right to work in various places — driving a truck, bartending — and then I got a job as a firefighter in the city of Bethlehem, the best job I’ve ever taken, a great opportunity, and I became a union leader. In my union leader role I made a bunch of relationships. I never had any interest in running for Congress, or running for office, to be honest with you — I was very happy just representing my members. I had done that for over 20 years, trying to get them better health care, better wages, better working conditions. And now I just want to do that for the people of Pennsylvania’s 7th. I want to enhance their lives and make things better." Friends, enjoy this update from Bob Brooks, another inspiring candidate and respected member of their community. Share our conversation with others, consider supporting Bob and his run for Congress, and keep working hard all. For we have a country to save, and elections like this one to win, together! - Simon

Friends, last night the proud, plucky patriots of our remarkable community at Hopium Chronicles gathered for our weekly get together. Excited to share a recording of my opening remarks here on Apple Podcasts. Find my written analysis today and keep working hard everyone - Simon

Friends, I’m excited to share a recording from the live discussion I held yesterday with Jamie Ager, who gave us an update on his race to flip NC-11 in Western North Carolina. This was Jamie’s third time joining us, and as you will hear he is one of our very best and most compelling candidates this cycle. "We're focused on the fact that Western North Carolina is a little unique from an issue standpoint because we had Hurricane Helene hit us almost two years ago. September 27, 2024. And the federal government has done a poor job getting us money down here to get ourselves back on our feet. And so people are frustrated about that. It's been a real slow trickle getting money for communities all over Western North Carolina. And we need a fighter here in Western North Carolina who wants to go get it. And, if there's anything I've learned in the last 15 months since I've been running for Congress, it’s that people in Western North Carolina are pretty independent-minded folks, and they want leaders who are independent-minded as well. And that's the kind of leader I want to be for this community here." Enjoy this update from Jamie Ager, another remarkable, inspiring candidate, and let’s do what we can to help bring another leader of good character and strong values to Washington next year. Please share this interview with others, throw a contribution Jamie’s way, and keep working hard all. For we have a country to save, and elections like this one in NC-11 to win this November, together! - Simon

Friends, I’m excited to share a recording from the live discussion I held earlier this afternoon with Christina Hines, a newly endorsed candidate in our community at Hopium Chronicles, and as you will hear she is a great candidate well positioned to win what has become one of the most hotly contested and expensive U.S. House races in the country. MI-10 is a Cook GOP +3 district, well within the range of what we are targeting this cycle. Here is how Christina introduced herself to us in the interview: Well, I grew up in our district. For those of you who aren't familiar, Michigan's 10th is all of southern Macomb County, which is that place all the news outlets zoom in on every presidential year — it's a really important “home of the Reagan Democrats" kind of place. And then Rochester and Rochester Hills over in Oakland County. So that is our district. Largely suburban, just north of Detroit, bordering Lake St. Clair. I grew up here in Warren, Michigan — home of the GM Tech Center, and the rapper Eminem. I went to the University of Michigan, Wayne State Law School, and spent my entire career as a prosecutor. I was a sexual assault and child abuse prosecutor. My last role was as the chief of the Special Victims Unit. I loved my career, but like so many people… I've become really concerned with everything going on in this country. I've got three little kids, and I think all the time about how we are supposed to be leaving for the next generation the world a better place than what we found it, right. I feel like we're just fighting to maintain the rights and freedoms, and to build better opportunities for our kids. That's what we're fighting for every day. This is one of only two open toss-up seats in the entire country, so it's highly competitive, and we're doing everything we possibly can to flip this seat. Enjoy getting to know this terrific candidate and let’s do what we can to bring another leader of character and strong values to Washington next year. Share our conversation with others, consider supporting Christina today by making a contribution to our core ⁠Winning The House Fund⁠, and keep working hard all. We have a country to save, and elections like this one to win in MI-10, together! - Simon

Friends, sending along a recording from the live conversation I had Friday, 9/18 with political commentator and author Alex Wagner. Alex dropped by to talk about her new book "The Steal: Four Right-Wing Hard-Liners, One Republican Presidency, and the Raid on America’s Courts" which is on sale now wherever you buy your books. Here’s a summary of this timely and thoughtful book: The election of Ronald Reagan in 1980 was a sharp right turn for American governance. After decades on the fringes, the conservative right had risen to power, finally poised to fashion some of the country's most pressing issues in its image. Tax cuts, aggressive foreign policy, and law and order would soon become the cornerstones of Reagan's agenda. But, behind the scenes, a select group of administration officials and ideological allies had their eyes set on something much more valuable: an institution with the power to shape the country's legal, cultural and existential identity, long after any presidential term ended. Ed Meese, a native Californian, former DA, and aide to Reagan from his days as governor, knew exactly what he had to do to seize the Supreme Court: get as many judges on the bench as possible, and make sure they were as conservative as he was on issues like abortion rights, taxes, and criminal justice. Working in parallel to achieve the same goal were a band of fellow true-believers: Paul Weyrich, the firebrand organizer; Joe Coors, the beer magnate whose fortune funded many of Weyrich’s efforts; and Robert Bork, the towering legal intellect of the right, and an important mentor to a few young law students starting a new organization called The Federalist Society. By the end of the decade, these men would change the face of the American judiciary forever. Told with a pitch-perfect blend of journalistic rigor and propulsive storytelling, The Steal takes readers into the closed-door meetings, public nomination hearings, and back rooms of American political power to reveal the true story behind one of the most significant moments in American history, and how it affects us to this day. Enjoy our conversation in today's episode and keep working hard all - Simon

Greetings everyone. Scheduled for today, Sunday 9/20 is the recording from an uplifting new discussion with Jake Johnson, another of our intrepid candidates working to flip a red House district blue this November. Simply, Jake is a very good candidate as you'll hear in our discussion and we need to be working hard to help him win. MN-1 is a Cook GOP +6 district, well within the range of what we are targeting this cycle in our community at Hopium Chronicles. Friends, enjoy getting to know this inspiring candidate and let’s do what we can to help bring another leader of character and strong values to Washington next year. Share our conversation with others, consider supporting Jake, and keep working hard all. We have a country to save, and elections like this one to win, together - Simon

Greetings everyone. Scheduled to release today is a conversation this week with our terrific candidate Brian Poindexter, a union ironworker fighting hard to flip OH-7 blue this November. Poindexter is running against Rep. Max Miller, another scandal plagued Ohio Republican, who deserves to lose this seat. And friends, sorry - we ran into an issue getting this recording posted here on Apple Podcasts. Excited to be sharing it today. Here’s a great passage from Brian's official bio: Brian is a fighter for workers because he is a worker. Whether on a machine shop floor, walking a beam on a Cleveland skyscraper, or sitting down with a resident to solve a local issue, Brian Poindexter lives and breathes working-class values and will bring that pro-worker mentality to the halls of Congress after he is elected on November 3rd, 2026. Friends, please share this episode with others, get to know Brian, another very inspiring candidate, throw a contribution his way through our Winning the House - Third Wave Fund, and keep working hard all. We have a country to save, and elections like this one in OH-07 to win this November, together - Simon and Lincoln

Greetings all. The proud, plucky patriots of our remarkable community at Hopium Chronicles gathered last night for our weekly get together. It was a lively and spirited affair, as they always are. Sharing my opening remarks here on Apple Podcasts. Find my written analysis today and keep working hard everyone - Simon

Greetings all. Our first Senate endorsement this cycle was former NC Governor Roy Cooper, who is seeking the open North Carolina Senate seat currently held by retiring Senator Tom Tillis. Most analysts agree this is the Senate seat most likely to flip to Democrats this cycle, and there is no path to a majority in the Senate without us winning this race in North Carolina. Friends, enjoy this new update, share our conversation with others, find my written analysis to donate to help Roy Cooper, the NC Democratic Party and Justice Anita Earls win, and keep working hard everyone. We have a country to save, and elections like this one in North Carolina to win, together! - Simon

Greetings everyone. Excited to introduce you all to Jessica Killin, Army veteran, public servant, and another one of the inspiring candidates of strong character and commitment in a strong position to flip a red House district blue this November. From our conversation: "[The] bottom line is I got to live my version of the American dream. And I know there are too many people in my community, and in our country, who don’t feel that the American dream is in reach anymore. They feel disaffected and frustrated by politics and politicians, that politics isn’t working for them, is not delivering real results. As someone who’s lived my version of the American dream, I want the opportunity to give back to the community that raised me, and also to make sure we have an economy that’s working for more people — building out a true, robust middle class. That’s where the American dream starts. And this economy, the Crank-Trump economy, is making life harder for the middle class. That’s essentially why I’m running." You can support Jessica today by making a contribution to our Winning the House - Third Wave Fund which is raising for candidates who’ve just emerged after late primaries and need a bit more help. Friends, enjoy getting to know yet another one of the inspiring candidates leaving it out there on the playing field for us this cycle. Share this episode with others, throw a contribution Jessica’s way through Hopium Chronicles, and keep working hard all. We have a country to save, and elections like this one in CO-5 to win this November, together - Simon

Greetings all. Excited to share a recording of the live interview held September 10th with Dr. Amish Shah, our impressive candidate running in AZ-1, one of our best pick-up opportunities in the country - and also among the most expensive. In this interview like in many others we keep hearing the same thing. That there is a deep yearning in the public in this time of oligarchical abandonment and betrayal for admirable leaders with proven track records of service to their community, who can be trusted to fight for them and not go “Washington” and enrich themselves. Enter Dr. Shah. A still practicing emergency room physician, introducing himself to the community by knocking on doors, talking, listening, and being present. He won a very tough primary and we can see why - for this profile, and how he is running, are what people are looking for this cycle - leaders of strong character and a proven commitment to serve others and not themselves. I’m pleased to be able to bring another great U.S. House candidate to you, Dr. Amish Shah. AZ-1 is an open seat, and it is a far better year for us than when he last ran in 2024. This is one of the seats that we simply must take this November and I hope you will rally for Dr. Shah. Share this episode with others and keep working hard everyone. We have a country to save, and elections like this one in AZ-01 all across the country to win, together - Simon