It’s Halloween, and Donald Trump is trying to scare us.
He’s filing lawsuits up and down the West Coast, from California to Alaska, to undermine voters, elections officials, and candidates. He’s sending “observers” to polling places across the country. He says he regrets not seizing election materials in 2020. He’s undoubtedly planning other anti-democratic shenanigans like that in this cycle.
Still, we’re not scared about this election, and you shouldn’t be either.
In fact, we’re feeling absolutely confident in the integrity of our elections this November. That’s because we have a vast and well-prepared coalition working to protect these elections — and we’re winning both in the courts of law and of public opinion.
An army of lawyers at Democracy Defenders Fund and our many allies is ready to fight election interference. We and our coalition partners are fighting back everywhere — and winning. Friday night, we and partners scored a landmark victory when we persuaded a federal court to shut down administration threats to election officials and election workers.
This year, pro-voter champions also have a weapon in the court of public opinion they’ve never had before: thriving independent media (like right here at The Contrarian) and an absolute army of pro-democracy content creators with hundreds of millions of followers standing ready to fight disinformation. Take our friends, the creators in the Chorus network. In October alone, they posted over 10,000 pieces of content about voting, garnering 150 million views and 22.5 million engagements. These same creators signed up nearly 35,000 people to serve as poll workers for the 2026 elections and, so far, have helped more than 85,000 Americans register to vote, confirm their registration status, or find their polling place.
This pro-democracy creator legion is also relentlessly repeating a fact that Trump knows, even if he refuses to admit it: The president has absolutely no role to play in running or overseeing American elections. That authority lies exclusively with the states and Congress under Article I, section 4 of the Constitution. It doesn’t even mention the president.
As an attorney with hundreds of legal matters against the Trump administration (Eisen) and a pro-democracy content creator with over a million followers (Craven), we understand the game MAGA is trying to play with this year’s midterm elections — and why Trump is going all in on his attempts to bully and frighten voters.
And we’re here to explain why it’s not going to work.
With a string of losses in court, Trump and his cabal know that their legal campaign won’t be successful. We at Democracy Defenders have helped beat back every major Trump election sabotage effort in court over the past 21 months. That includes not only Friday’s landmark order protecting election workers from threats, but also helping shut down DOJ’s lawsuit earlier in the week seeking to block the ballots of 20,000 supposed unauthorized voters in that state. Now the creator community is jumping into the fight with everything it has.
So while the MAGA movement is attempting to sow misinformation about this election across the country, pro-democracy digital creators, election experts, attorneys, and many others are fighting back. Until all voters casts their ballot and every last vote is counted, independent media like The Contrarian and content creators in cohorts like Chorus will continue to be on the ground and online to correct the record in the court of public opinion and ensure Americans have the facts they need, while lawyers will be heard in the court of law. Together we can reach hundreds of millions of Americans. We are trusted. Trump is not.
In fact, Trump’s unpopularity is at record levels, and Republicans are trailing in key races in nearly every state, at every level of the ballot. When all the votes are tallied, the GOP’s power in our country is going to be drastically diminished.
So MAGA’s best hope is to scare you into not casting a ballot in the first place.
Your vote is powerful, and Trump is terrified of that power — it’s a real threat to the MAGA movement, so that movement’s strategy is to intimidate voters into staying home.
As Halloween approaches, don’t let them trick you.
Instead, help us treat democracy right by fighting back.
Follow us at The Contrarian and also follow Chorus and other wonderful pro-democracy creators and share that content to encourage the spread of trustworthy information. Reach out if you spot any anti-democratic MAGA shenanigans. Encourage your friends, family, and neighbors to vote.
And hang tough. We’re here, we’re ready, we are going to fight for you, and we’re going to win.
Contrarians, your paid subscriptions support all this legal work — and the journalism at The Contrarian, too, which you can see in my roundup of the best from this week. We hope you’ll consider becoming a paid subscriber if you’re not already. Also, come back Tuesday evening for our special election coverage, including a live show with Contrarian Editor in Chief Jennifer Rubin and Political Editor Tim Dickinson.
On the Ballot
He Called All 50 States Correctly in 2024. Here’s His 2026 Election Prediction.
On the podcast this week, Tim Dickinson spoke with Zachary Donnini, VoteHub’s head of data science, who broke down the numbers and offered his predictions for November — which happen to come with a stellar track record.
Can He Flip Virginia Again? This Former Congressman Thinks So
Tim Dickinson also spoke with Virginia 5th Congressional District candidate Tom Perriello, who flipped a seat in 2008 in what has since been a Republican stronghold — and whose chances this time around are a bellwether for the blue wave. “People understand that they’re inheriting this mess that Trump and the folks in Washington are creating.”
NC Midterm Candidates are Mum About Charlotte Cops’ Bigoted Group Chat
Carron J. Phillips wrote on the deafening political silence around a leaked group chat among six police officers in Charlotte, North Carolina, that revealed a competition to see who could arrest the most Black people. “This is North Carolina, where those in government play controversial topics — like racism in a purple state — close to the vest.”
Reproductive Rights and Bodily Autonomy Are on the Ballot
Jennifer Weiss-Wolf wrote on the down-ballot measures none of us should be ignoring, including 140+ measures across 40 states, several of which are focused on reproductive rights. “Don’t let anyone tell you that women’s health is niche or that you’re a ‘single issue voter’ if it is your priority.”
What Comes Next
Good Omens for Democratic Successes
Lavora Barnes wrote on promising patterns in early voting — and also with caution that whatever happens on Nov. 3, it is just the beginning of the work Democrats have to do to regain the faith of many Americans as more than the not-Trump party. “We have to work on giving voters something to vote for.”
In These Midterms, Free Speech Hangs in the Balance
E. Thomas Sullivan and Richard W. Painter wrote on how a Democratic-controlled House or Senate could legally counter Trump’s abuses of power from day one — and why a divided government would be great news for the First Amendment. “They will have immediate, Constitutionally enshrined tools at their disposal.”
America Faces an ‘Attack on Empathy’
Jennifer Rubin spoke with Public Religion Research Institute President Robert P. Jones on the release of PRRI’s 17th Annual American Values Survey. Among other findings: an empathy gap between Democrats and Republicans.
Corruption & Callousness
Losing in Court Isn’t Enough; DOJ Must Be Sanctioned
Jennifer Rubin wrote on how federal District and Circuit Court judges have valiantly pushed back against the Trump regime’s meritless legal maneuvers in the run-up to the midterms — and that we can’t keep relying on this last line of defense. See also Andrew Weissmann’s take on one of those absurd maneuvers: The New Comey “Case.”
They Promised Kids Were Exempt from SNAP Cuts. 2 Million Children Would Disagree.
Billy Shore of Share Our Strength wrote on Republicans’ unkept promises to ensure that kids won’t go hungry in the face of SNAP cuts. “Some of the ways H.R. 1 has stripped children of food assistance are direct and measurable. Others are less visible. And their full impact is still unfolding.”
Other Elections
Words & Phrases: ‘Terrorists,’ Not ‘Settlers’
Jennifer Rubin marked Israel’s first major election since October 7, 2023, with a searing report on the truth of a national situation many domestic politicians — in both Israel and the U.S. — still seek to euphemize and deny. “The benign use of ‘settler’ soft-pedals the depravity of those trying to drive Palestinians from the region in an effort to ethnically cleanse the territory.”
Brazil Just Disrupted Trump’s Plans for Latin America
Brian O’Neill offered takeaways from Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s election victory in Brazil, which did not stop a regional rightward shift but did show its limits, with important “implications for Trump’s regional ambitions, American interference in other countries’ politics, and the challenges that can persist after voters have made their choice.”
Fighting Back
How to Protect Your Vote on Election Day
Jennifer Rubin spoke with the ACLU’S Deirdre Schifeling on how to ensure a secure ballot and report potential voter suppression. When in doubt: You can always call 1-866-OUR-VOTE, a voter hotline answered by ACLU lawyers.
A Legacy of Moving Us Forward
Maria Cardona honored the death this week of civil rights icon and labor leader Dolores Huerta. “Now, in honor of the values by which she charted her own way, we owe her.”
Make Halloween Scary for Fascists: A Get-Out-The-Vote Guide
Like all the best parties this time of year, this week’s Calls to Action have a theme: early voting. Get to the polls if you can and see our guide for many ways to help others do the same this weekend!
The Contrarian Covers the Democracy Movement
This week, we saw protests in Texas, California, Connecticut, Italy, and more. Get help organizing from Indivisible, find protests in your area at mobilize.us, and send us your protest photos at submit@contrariannews.org.
Cartoons, Culture, & Fun Stuff
This week, our cartoonists took on strong messaging (Staying on Brand, Nick Anderson), strong polling (The Wave, Michael de Adder), would-be strongmen (Tom the Dancing Bug, Ruben Bolling), and more.
The Success of ‘You Can See Everything’ Isn’t About Elizabeth Holmes
Meredith Blake investigated the surprise full-blown phenomenon that is the new documentary about Theranos founder and infamous fraud convict Elizabeth Holmes. “The last time a documentary released in movie theaters dominated the cultural conversation in this manner was Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11 in 2004.”
There’s No Such Thing As Too Many Pumpkins
Meredith also dived deep into “decorative gourd season” and how deep-pocketed enthusiasts are turning to “pumpkin concierges” to satisfy their appetite for seasonal decor — while Americans are collectively on track to spend $13.8 billion on Halloween this year.
