Why I Need Vivek Ramaswamy
to Lose
From the desk of Bibek, Senior Digital Strategist
Ohio, I’m asking for a personal favor. My name is Bibek (the Nepali version of Vivek) and every time I introduce myself, the invariable response is, “Oh, like Vivek Ramaswamy?” No. Not like him. The most famous guy with my almost-name can’t be a guy who runs his campaign like a cartoon villain, twirling a mustache he can’t grow.
But seriously: This week Ramaswamy, trailing Dr. Amy Acton by 4 to 9 points, rolled out an ad featuring Acton’s estranged mother calling her a liar. Acton survived childhood abuse, and her brother says their mother stayed married to Amy’s abuser until he died. JD Vance’s advice to Republicans uncomfortable with all this was to “stop whining.”
It’s a new low for Republicans, but they started digging earlier this week. In Michigan, a young “voter” named Tommy demanded Abdul El-Sayed disavow the Muslim Brotherhood. El-Sayed did, then asked Tommy if he would disavow any attempt to read religious doctrine into American law. Tommy would not. Tommy also turned out to be a former operations director for Sen. Josh Hawley.
They pull these dirty tricks because they can’t compete on policy. A new NPR/PBS News/Marist poll finds a strong majority of voters want the next Congress to undo Trump’s agenda or act as a check on it, on tariffs, health care, and immigration. When your ideas are this unpopular, all that’s left is smears. Let’s fight for our ideas. Find the training to get you there.
💻UPCOMING LIVE TRAININGS
Running an Effective Campaign Debrief
11.10
10 am PT
So You Want to Run for Office?
11.12
10 am PT
Explore upcoming events + trainings coming up this month.
NDTC Learner Spotlight
Dr. Elma Hairston runs a consulting firm that helps young women build their careers, and she keeps noticing how many North Carolinians are left out of the state’s economic boom. She trained with NDTC as a first-time candidate and won a contested Democratic primary with 59% of the vote. Now she’s taking on Republican Rep. Alan Branson in a seat that she will flip blue if she wins.
SUBSTACK
The Strongest Bench Is Intergenerational
NDTC learners range from Gen Z all the way to the Silent Generation, and the candidates on ballots this November cover the same spread. Our latest piece looks at what each generation brings to the fight and why the party is stronger when all of them are in the room at once.
ICYMI
NDTC for GOTV: A Campaign Resource
Nobody should spend their first canvass shift squinting at a walk list and trying to figure out which door is 14B. Your volunteers showed up because they want you to win, so send them out to pound the pavement knowing exactly what they’re doing, and which door to knock on. Our new GOTV resource is built to get them there.
THIS WEEK’S WINS
A week and change, this is how we organize, show up, and win.
Under Gov. JB Pritzker, Illinois blew past its goal, erasing more than $1.4 billion in medical debt for nearly 700,000 residents while spending less than $10 million in state funds. Nobody had to apply; people just got a letter saying the bill is gone. This is what the GOP is afraid of: Democratic policies actually helping people.
House Republicans set out to extract 10 extra seats from redistricting and, after $133 million in TV ads, are now privately worried it nets them just one. They squeezed all the juice they could, and now they’ll have to compete on policy. Imagine that.
After weeks of residents raising concerns at council meetings, this small Missouri town voted unanimously to end its Flock contract, with crews set to bag all 15 cameras the next morning. Turns out civic engagement works.
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