As The Tide Comes In — Hungary Shows Us the Way Back

Voters ended Orbán’s 16-year reign and patriots took their country back. Sixteen days out, every arrow is pointing our way.

Hey, Raw America family. Welcome to the Sunday Wrapup. I’m here with my cup of coffee, and the first real fall chill is finally in the air.

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Hungary Just Showed Us What Comes After a Strongman

For sixteen years, Viktor Orbán was the model: the guy MAGA flew to Budapest to study. He captured the courts, bent the media to his will, and spent years targeting LGBTQ Hungarians in the name of “protecting children.”

In April, Hungarian voters threw him out. Now they’re dismantling what he built.

On Tuesday, parliament voted 139 to 51 to strip the anti-LGBTQ provisions out of Orbán’s 2021 “child protection” law, which banned any portrayal of gay or transgender people in content minors could see.

That’s just the latest. Prime Minister Péter Magyar’s government cut off state money to Orbán’s propaganda outlets and put independent leadership back at state TV. Orbán’s president was forced out, as was his chief prosecutor. Sixteen crony-run foundations were shuttered, returning billions to the public. And a new law bars anyone from serving as prime minister for more than eight years.

Critics say some moves came too fast. But six months ago, everyone said this strongman was unbeatable.

As we swing into the homestretch, I want you to remember Trump isn’t forever. Strongmen fall, and when they do, damage can be fixed. Courts can be restored. Laws can be repealed. A country can find its way back.

Republicans Aren’t Showing Up to Vote

Here at home, the signs are good. Really good.

Early voting is underway in a number of states, and the early numbers from Iowa and North Carolina add to a growing pile of evidence that Democrats are fired up and Republicans aren’t.

In early voting data CNN highlighted, Republicans were turning out at just 32 percent of their 2024 first-day level. Democrats were at 73 percent. Unaffiliated voters were at 64 percent.

That’s not a gap; that’s a canyon.

In a separate survey, 76 percent of Democrats said voting this year was extremely important, compared to 63 percent of Republicans.

Trump spent this week rallying in Kentucky, Montana, and Alaska. Those aren’t swing states. That’s a party trying to hold its own turf.

If early voting gives you hope too, help us make sure everyone gets the truth they need to decide. Become a paying subscriber today for 20% off — a special deal exclusively for you. That’s just 17 cents a day.

Democrats Are Swamping Them With Cash

Meanwhile, the money is pouring in.

James Talarico raised $64 million in the third quarter in Texas, which his campaign says is the most any U.S. Senate candidate has ever raised in a third quarter.

Jon Ossoff raised $33 million in Georgia. Sherrod Brown pulled in $28 million in Ohio. Roy Cooper bagged $19.5 million in North Carolina. Mary Peltola took in $17 million in Alaska. Even in Kansas, Democrat Adam Hamilton raised $10.6 million.

For comparison, Mike Rogers, the Republican running in Michigan, raised $9.6 million.

The numbers were so big that Ohio Republican Senator Bernie Moreno’s reaction to Talarico’s haul was “holy crap.”

Holy crap, indeed.

Republicans still have their billionaires. The GOP’s Senate super PAC has outraised its Democratic counterpart, and Elon Musk just dropped $10 million into a PAC backing Ken Paxton.

Musk has likely spent hundreds of millions across various Senate races. But candidates get cheaper ad rates than super PACs, and Republican money comes from a handful of billionaires.

Our fundraising comes from millions of regular people. Regular people each have a vote. The numbers matter.

The Forecasters Keep Moving Our Way

On Friday, the Cook Political Report shifted 11 more House races toward Democrats, including Montana’s open 1st District. Trump won the district by 11 points just two years ago. It’s now rated a toss-up.

Nate Silver’s average has Democrats up nearly 9 points on the generic ballot, close to their high for the cycle. Decision Desk HQ gives Democrats a 77 percent chance of winning the House and a 56 percent chance of winning the Senate.

Even Fox News now projects Democrats could hold around 237 House seats on a good night. That’s a 22-seat gain.

The Washington Post reports Democrats now hold a clear edge on the economy for the first time in over a decade. Voters say government corruption is their top concern.

None of this is in the bag. Polls can be wrong, and the Senate is still a coin flip. But every single arrow is pointing in the same direction.

What New Leadership Looks Like: A Million Frozen Rents

Hungary shows what we can undo. New York shows what we can build.

On October 1st, Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s rent freeze took effect for roughly one million rent-stabilized apartments. More than two million New Yorkers just got told their rent isn’t going up.

It’s a freeze on both one-year and two-year leases, which advocates say is the first two-year freeze in the Rent Guidelines Board’s history. The board voted 7 to 1 back in June. After four straight years of increases under Eric Adams, tenants finally got a break.

Mamdani made a promise on the campaign trail. Then he did what he promised.

Landlords are suing, of course, and the case is ongoing. But for now, the freeze stands.

Our sister publication, U.S. Democratic Socialists, interviewed Mamdani, and what struck me was how unglamorous his pitch was. Make it cheaper to live. That’s it.

The Road Back — Rebuilding Independent Media

I keep coming back to Hungary.

For years, people told Hungarians nothing would change. Orbán had the courts, the media, and the money. The system was rigged, so why bother?

But Hungarians bothered. And this week, a gay kid in Hungary got one step closer to seeing themselves in a book again.

If Raw America gives you hope — if you want news that shares your values, today’s the day to upgrade. To make it easy, I’m offering subscriptions now for 20% off.

Republicans are staying home. Democrats are raising record money from regular people. The forecasters are moving our way. And a mayor in New York just proved that when you elect people who mean it, they can actually make life better.

Saner times aren’t a fantasy — Hungary is proof. But nobody hands them to you.

Vote. Get your friends to vote. And if you can, help us keep telling the truth through Election Day and beyond.

Thanks for being part of this family. See you next Sunday.

—John Byrne / Founder, Raw America and Raw Story