Simon Rosenberg
Veteran Political Analyst, Strategist and Commentator. 2 Presidential campaigns (incl Clinton War Room), senior roles at DNC, DCCC, NDN. Author and creator of Hopium Chronicles on Substack. @simonwdc
From Simon Rosenberg’s Hopium Chronicles Substack posted December 31, 2025.
“It’s here. The end of 2025. This terrible year is finally coming to an end. I woke up this morning weirdly excited about it’s end, and the chance tomorrow to begin anew, and to work with all of you to build something better.
“We ended the year with another strong electoral over performance last night, this one in Iowa. Renee Hardman won a seat to fill a vacancy due to the passing of her predecessor this fall. She won 71%-28%, performing 26 points better than Kamala Harris did in this district last year. Hardman, the CEO of nonprofit Lutheran Services of Iowa and a member of the West Des Moines City Council, becomes the first Black woman ever elected to the 50-member Iowa state Senate.
Renee Hardman at her victory party (Lily Smith/Des Moines Register)
“In six state legislative special elections in Iowa this year we over performed our 2024 results by an average of 24 points. A remarkable achievement, and one that mirrors our strong electoral performances all across the country this year. Thanks to all of you who’ve contributed to our Audacious Expansion Fund this year. Your support helped fuel our encouraging win in Iowa last night.
“And that’s 2025, isn’t it? A year where Trump did so much damage to the country, extraordinary, unyielding, shocking levels of damage….
but also a year of intense rejection and repudiation of him and his rancid regime; and a year of strong and encouraging electoral performances by Democrats in races of all kinds all across the country.
Blog For Iowa 