I was all in for Joe. I'm ALL IN for Kamala and I'm so excited.

I'm shocked but not surprised by the vibe shift since Joe left the race. The excitement for Kamala is palpable, I share it, and we have work to do. 🪷🐝

Hi friends,

You can see the evolution of the last month in my posts. Defending Joe, terrified of chaos, supporting Kamala, and now SO EXCITED over Kamala and the grassroots excitement she has generated. She was my first favorite in 2020 before Pete came on the scene. I think she’s an amazing thinker, and VP, has an infectious laugh that makes it seem like she’s always having fun. And she can kick ass and take names like nobody else.

This was going around Twitter last night:

As seen on Twitter on 7/23/24

So far, and this is only what I know about, there have been massive Zoom calls talking about how to get involved and work hard to get Kamala elected:

Black Women: 44k

Black men: 20k (maxed out)

Latinos: maxed out (not sure the number)

White Women: Thurs July 25 at 8:30, REGISTER HERE:

http://AnswertheCall2024.com

This is organized by

Shannon Watts

, the founder of Moms Demand Action. When she floated the idea, I wrote in to say I was all-in and I have a platform. You guys are all awesome, but the size of our community pales in comparison to her 650k followers. Clearly we have some work to do to share this newsletter and podcast 😀 and get more people involved. Here are some of our stats: we are in 50 states, and in 21 countries, including Canada, Mexico, the UK, Greece, Australia, India and others. Thanks to all of you for being part of this growing community.

Hopium Chronicles By Simon Rosenberg

Community: Simon had 2 zooms this week, and the Hopum community is near 100k (I’m one of them!) and he helped raise a bunch —millions—of dollars for Kamala and downballot campaigns. You can take a listen to my conversation with him as he was starting Hopium to discuss why he did it here.

So, what I’m trying to say is that the grassroots excitement is palpable and electric and so so necessary. I know we were all willing to go to the mattresses for Joe, but what I didn’t know was how much joy Kamala would unleash across the Dem board.

Also, the Veepstakes. You all know I’m OG #TeamPete. I think #VPete would be the best choice, but everyone who seems to be on the short list is fantastic. What a team it will be, whoever she picks! And before I go, I’ll tell you why I think Pete is the best pick:

1. He is amazing (goes without saying). The smartest and most eloquent guy on the political scene in many years. And he has been on Fox and other RW shows where he holds his own, is respectful, and destroys their specious taking points.

2. He has a built-in national audience/name recognition. And #TeamPete is raring to go (of course we’ll fight for freedom with Kamala with all our might), but having Pete in the race would energize an already energized national volunteer community.

3. He’s been vetted, by the media for the last Presidential. And by Biden before appointing him SecTransportation.

4. He can go on the attack during the campaign, shiv someone like Vance, and you don’t even know it’s happened. It’s eloquent. And effective. And doesn’t alienate anyone.

5. He and Chasten and the twins are a wholesome American family from the heartland.

6. I don’t really think people care about him being LGBTQ+. If they do, they’re voting for Trump anyway b/c of Kamala being female, black, asian, and badass.

7. He’s Christian and can easily appeal to the non-Christian-nationalist Christian crowd (though anyone prob could).

8. He has national executive experience at DOT, made a ton of positive changes for consumers and for safety, negotiated successfully with Congress for the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and worked well with Biden AFAIK.

9. Chasten and Doug are really close, and I think the families are friends (unless there was a falling out). Kamala and Pete and Chasten campaigned in P-Town (that’s Provincetown for you non-New England folks) together the day before Joe dropped out.

10. He’s on a first name basis with America, as is she.

11. Did I mention he’s amazing?

This was totally not going to be a Pete post, but I got carried away. #sorrynotsorry. Obviously I’ll work my heart out for Kamala and whoever she picks. But if you want my opinion, you now have it.

I’m starting to work out the lineup for when I resume recording the podcast next month. So far on deck:

Michael Podhorzer

Scott Dworkin

Aram Fischer

Andra Watkins

and Canton, NC mayor Zeb Smathers. If anyone has other great ideas and introductions, my DMs are open.

Yours in joy, democracy, freedom, and boldness,

Stephanie