The twice-impeached felon who led an insurrection is.
History knows who the villain is — and his name is Donald Trump.

Nancy Pelosi fought to keep families together. Trump tore families apart and put children in cages.

So let’s be clear: The woman who passed the ACA and saved this country in its darkest moments is not the “evil” in this story.

I wrote about them honestly, vulnerably in my latest Substack.

Because it’s time we talk about what the fight really takes. And why it’s still worth it.

open.substack.com/pub/jaimehar...

And I want the candidates stepping up now, especially those running in the South, especially those who know what it feels like to be underestimated or written off to hear those lessons. To hold onto them. To know they are not alone.

This was not some ego trip for me, but a necessity for the people in the state who desperately needed help.

But today, I know this: the race taught me some of the most powerful lessons of my life.

The energy on the ground was incomparable. And when we fell short, it felt like I had personally failed to deliver on that hope.

Five years later… the race still haunts me because I gave it my all and it was just not enough.

We campaigned from a computer screen, not on porches, not in church basements, not in union halls and yet somehow we still managed to give millions of people hope. His polls, our polls, all polls said that we were on the verge of doing something historic.

They darkened my skin in attack ads.
They harassed my staff.
They lied about my life.

All while the country was in the middle of a pandemic… while people I cared about were getting sick and even died… while the Supreme Court was being reshaped in real time.

My race for the U.S. Senate in 2020 was one of the hardest, most emotionally draining experiences I have ever had. I went from being the guy behind the curtain… to being the one standing under the bright lights with every move picked apart, every word twisted, every loved one dragged into the storm.

America is more diverse, more complex, and more powerful than the narrow narratives they keep trying to box us into.

We are strongest because we reflect the diversity of the nation.

Stop trying to engineer the “perfect” type. Start recruiting people who can actually connect with the people in front of them.

Tip O’Neill was right then and he’s right now - All politics is (& remains) LOCAL. #Election2025