Nov 09, 2025
NATIONAL NUTCASERY
celebrating dem wins!
On Tuesday, Democrats won everywhere by larger-than-expected margins. It wasn’t just blue states or blue districts; Democrats won two huge victories for the Georgia Public Service Commission by more than 20 points. It was a shellacking. I hope Mike Johnson doesn’t like his job too much, because 2026 could be a blood bath.
Abigail Spanberger will become the first woman to run the state of Virginia, winning by a whopping 15 points. Spanberger performed so well at the top of Virginia’s ticket that she lifted up the rest, too. Notably, Dem Jay Jones will be Virginia’s next attorney general. This was a tight race, following the leak of Jones’ incriminating texts. Really bad texts.
In NJ, Mikie Sherrill beat back her Republican challenger, Jack Ciattarelli, by 13 points. This was considered the GOP’s best shot at a major upset. Sorry guys!
Zohran Mamdani won by about 9 points, which means he will become the first Muslim mayor of NYC.
Virginia Democrats picked up 13 seats in the House of Delegates, extending their majority and bringing them to 64 seats.
In Mississippi, Democrats gained two seats in the State Senate, ending the GOP’s supermajority. HUGE!
Maine voters passed a “red flag” gun law, which allows people to petition the courts to take firearms away from family members who shouldn’t have them.
Democrats in Pennsylvania retained all three Supreme Court seats.
While the vast majority of Hoosiers did not have anything to vote for on Tuesday, six school districts held critical local funding referendums, and Hoosiers passed them in five of the six elections. That includes Avon, where Lt. Governor Micah Beckwith knocked on doors opposing the referendum. Despite his involvement, Avon passed the question to fund dozens of staff and classrooms.
Some of the best news this week came from school board elections, where Moms for Liberty lost nearly every contested race. In Pennsylvania’s Central Bucks School District—ground zero for the school board culture wars and a well-known purple bellwether—Democrats swept all four open seats, taking complete control of the board.
new in SNAP
Late last night, the Trump administration instructed states that they must “immediately undo any steps” that were taken to provide full SNAP benefits to low-income Americans, saying states were “unauthorized.” The U.S. Department of Agriculture, in a late-night Saturday memo obtained by CBS News, also threatened to impose financial penalties on states that did not comply with the government’s new orders.
On Friday, some states began issuing full monthly SNAP benefits to people, a day after a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to provide the funds. Massachusetts, New York, Connecticut and New Jersey were among the states that said on Friday they were moving to issue full benefits to SNAP recipients. Then Friday night, Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson temporarily paused that judicial order to give an appeals court in Boston time to decide whether to issue a more lasting halt. Jackson acted because she handles emergency matters from Massachusetts. Law professor Steve Vladek has a really great breakdown on his substack:
Democratic Gov. Maura Healey of Massachusetts said SNAP benefits were processed and placed on EBT cards before the U.S. Supreme Court order Friday night, in line with the previous guidance from the USDA. She said that if Trump attempts to claw back the money, “we will see him in court.” Wisconsin governor Tony Evers issued a quick response to the Trump administration’s demand. “No,” the governor said in a statement.
One thing that is crystal clear, though, is that the money for the emergency SNAP benefits is available. It’s just that Trump doesn’t want to distribute it. Seventy-one percent of Americans say that their grocery prices have risen since last year, according to a new poll. He was confronted with this reality a few days ago: People “have seen their grocery prices go up,” CBS News’ Norah O’Donnell told him. “No, you’re wrong,” Trump responded.
Even after last week’s last-minute lawsuit was thought to have saved SNAP benefits for November, assistance was going to be delayed at least another week in Indiana. Plus, certain Hoosiers on SNAP wouldn’t receive any benefits. If emergency funds weren’t covering the full amount, the new formula effectively makes people with incomes on the higher end no longer eligible in November.
Think people deserve to eat? Tell Congress!
Call Sens Todd Young ((202) 224-5623) & Jim Banks ((202) 224-4814) and personalize this script from Chop Wood, Carry Water:
Hi, I’m a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is ______.
I am disgusted with Republicans in Congress right now. Using SNAP as a bargaining chip to try to score political points against Democrats is appalling. Doing so because you don’t want to help Americans afford healthcare is even worse. Republicans are caving to Trump, abdicating their responsibility to their constituents, and lying to the American people. It’s unconscionable. The Senator needs to stand up to Trump, demand that the USDA release the contingency money to pay for SNAP, vote to permanently extend the ACA tax credits, and start doing his/her job! I don’t take kindly to paying people who are violating their oaths of office.
Then call Rep. Mark Messmer ((202) 225-4636) and do the same thing:
Hi, I’m a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is _______.
I am calling to say that I’m disgusted with House Republicans. They need to get back to DC and do their jobs. House Democrats are in DC working and not taking a paycheck—meanwhile Republicans are being paid for doing NOTHING. It’s outrageous. The Congressmember needs to come back to DC, work with Democrats to pass legislation to keep our healthcare costs down, and tell the USDA to release the contingency money to pay for SNAP. I don’t take kindly to paying people who refuse to show up to work.
There is a 4000-year-old piece of cake on display at the Alimentarium food museum in Vevey, Switzerland. Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.
tarriff tiffs
The Supreme Court took up the case challenging Trump’s tariffs and how the court rules could have massive implications for Trump’s agenda and for Congress. Quick recap: In April, Trump imposed tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. Then, lower courts deemed these tariffs illegal because…uh…there was no emergency. At least, not until he imposed the tariffs. Trump then asked SCOTUS to overturn this, and now arguments have begun. So far, the three conservative justices seemed very skeptical of the government’s arguments, though they also poked at the case against the tariffs. It could be weeks or months until there’s a ruling.
It’s about more than Trump’s tariffs, though. At the center of the case is executive privilege, and whether the president can act unilaterally. As we know, Congress is supposed to impose tariffs. The President shouldn’t have an independent source of revenue, especially not this one, since he just spends it on tacky renovations. Unfortunately, SCOTUS has tended to expand executive power in the past few years (see: the immunity decision, allowing Trump not to spend funds appropriated by Congress, letting him ban trans troops from the military, sooo much immigration stuff).
But whenever the court eventually rules, the stakes for Congress are momentous. If the tariffs go down, that would be a big blow to Trump’s agenda. Still, the president could call on Republicans to step in and act, an option that’s on some GOP lawmakers’ minds. That would be politically brutal for the GOP to contend with. Plus if he loses, he may have to refund billions of dollars in tariffs. But why should that be a problem?
STATEWIDE SHENANIGANS
it’s always redistricting
Normally, Indiana’s legislative session starts in January and runs through early spring. But this year, Senate and House leadership have confirmed that they will begin the 2026 legislative session in December 2025 instead, to spend a few weeks on redistricting. Other bills could be taken up at this point as well. For now, mark your calendars for Monday, December 1 - this is the day that we expect legislators to convene at the Statehouse. Leaders say this is because they want to avoid spending extra money convening lawmakers... which will likely mean an early end to the regular session.
Illinois Gov. Pritzker is watching to see if Indiana redistricts , telling reporters Nov. 5 that it could force Illinois to redraw its own map if the Hoosier state acts first.
Don’t forget to call Sen. Goode (317-232-9400) to remind him that Hoosiers are 2 to 1 against redistricting, and that 0 of the 71 speakers at his listening session last week wanted new maps.
LOCAL FOCUS
homes for Hauteans
The City of Terre Haute is partnering with Thrive West Central to launch a new initiative as part of their Homes for the Future program.
The Urban Homescape Initiative aims to use unused parcels of land recently transferred from Indiana State University into high-quality residential developments. The initiative is set as a partnership between the city, university, and Thrive to unlock housing opportunities and revitalize neighborhoods. Eligible sites can even qualify for up to $6,500 per housing unit in infrastructure support through Thrive West Central’s funding resources. Further information can be found at Thrive West Central’s Housing Resource Hub.
GOOD TROUBLE
public lands for public good
The Trump Administration is targeting yet another crucial environmental protection, and we only have a few days left to weigh in. Trump’s Bureau of Land Management is attempting to eliminate the Conservation and Landscape Health Rule, also known as the Public Lands Rule, which makes wildlife conservation a priority in managing 245 million acres BLM oversees. This rule puts long-term stewardship of wildlife habitats and fragile ecosystems on equal footing with development, and has been backed by environmentalists and by hunting and fishing enthusiasts alike.
The deadline for us to submit public comments demanding they retain this rule is Monday, November 10th. Let’s make our voices heard in favor of conservation. We can post comments on regulations.gov here and find sample language we can work from via the National Parks Conservation Association here.
accurate ids, please
This past summer, the BMV proposed a dangerous rule that would ban all gender marker changes on driver’s licenses and state IDs. For decades, this process has provided safety, dignity, and accuracy for trans, gender diverse, and intersex Hoosiers.
Over 1,600 Hoosiers spoke out against it via emailed public comment. They provided hours of often heartbreaking testimony at a crowded public hearing where absolutely nobody testified in favor of the rule change. In the face of this sweeping opposition, the BMV withdrew the rule without publishing any of this testimony for the public to see. Not satisfied with the clear “no” they heard the first time, they’ve brought the rule back again.
The BMV is accepting another round of public comment until November 14. Use this form to submit your official written public comment and tell the BMV: Trans, gender diverse, and intersex Hoosiers deserve IDs that reflect their identity. Take this opportunity to lift your voice in support of the trans community in the permanent public record.
RESOURCE CENTER
building the dem bench
We saw amazing results on Tuesday, but none of those wins can happen without candidates! Could the next big winner be you (and your constituents)?
If you’re not sure where to start, Join the National Democratic Training Committee on Thursday, November 17th from 1-2 pm ET for a free virtual live training on So You Want to Run for Office. Sign up here!
Another great resource is Run For Something! Run for Something will recruit and support young, diverse progressives to run for down-ballot races in order to build sustainable power for Democrats in all 50 states. They’ve helped over 600 candidates win their races! Sign up here.
Next year we will be electing State Convention Delegates and Precinct Committeepeople, which are great places to start! INDems are having a State Convention Delegate training Wednesday, December 10th. Join in to learn more about how to file in January and what to expect at next year’s state convention! Check out the latest episode of TurnLeft to learn more about the process.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Monday, November 10th: Community panel conversation on food insecurity from 6-7:30 p.m., at the Indiana State University Cunningham Memorial Library. The free event, open to the public, will take place in the Library Events Center.
Wednesday, November 12th: Terre Haute leaf pickup begins. See map and Leaf Vac tracker here. Crews will start in the Orange Zone, beginning on Davis Avenue, and working north. Updates to leaf pickup will be available on the City website and on social media.
Wednesday, November 12th at 5pm: Vigo County Council meeting in Annex building Council Room.
Wednesday, mNovember 12th at 7:30pm: Redistricting webinar w/ Common Cause Indiana, MADVoters, Indivisible Central Indiana
Thursday, November 13th at 6pm: Terre Haute City Council meeting at City Hall
Tuesday, November 18th at 9am: The People’s House Statehouse workshop by MADVoters, tickets required. More info here.
END ON A HIGH NOTE
A federal judge ordered that officials at a Chicago immigration facility improve conditions for those held at the facility, following reports of people lacking beds, sleeping next to toilets, and drinking sewer water. Wtf.
Saying that the Trump administration’s “use of force shocks the conscience,” U.S. District Judge Sara L. Ellis extended a series of restrictions on the immigration enforcement officers in Chicago. Ellis in particular called out CBP commander Gregory Bovino for lying in her legal proceedings about their tactics and the actions of protestors. “I find the defendants’ evidence simply not credible,” Ellis said. “Overall, this calls into question everything the defendants are doing.”
Sean Dunn – the D.C. guy who threw a sandwich at a federal officer – has been acquitted of his assault with a deli weapon charge. Justice served… on rye? (So sorry).
In Colorado, a ballot measure asking voters to forgo a tax refund in favor of free school lunches passed by 16 points. This is super exciting because the wording of the measure was SUPER explicit that taxes would increase, and Coloradans chose it anyway.
Kansas Republicans announced they’re abandoning their redistricting efforts for the time being.
Trump’s time in the White House runs out in:
Fiat once produced a car that came with an espresso machine. Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.