About this site

hElium Politics is an independent publication I launched in September 2026, covering Georgia and Rhode Island politics from the left. Thanks for being here! Please check out my introductory post for more information or to subscribe.

Check out my other work

My main website is elium2.com, featuring my maps and datasets, but it's currently outdated. I've been doing a lot of behind-the-scenes work recently, which I am working to have online as the November 2026 election approaches. You can also find me on Bluesky (@elium2.com), and you can find my old work on the social media platform formerly known as Twitter (@elium2).

Who are you?

I'm Eli Spencer Heyman. First name Eli. Last name Spencer Heyman.

Okay, but why should I care what you think?

I have a bachelor's in public policy and have a fairly good track record of predicting elections, including some prominent cases where I bucked conventional wisdom. I've been heavily involved in a small number of political campaigns, which were successful. More importantly, I've studied a lot of history and I know that politics is about power. Politics is how we decide who lives and who dies, how we crown winners and losers. I think I have a pretty good understanding of how power functions, and that's a lens that is often lacking in both political writing and advocacy.

What do you write about?

My areas of expertise or passion. Most of what you'll see here will be through the lens of elections, but there will probably be some legislative stuff too. And there's a lot to talk about with elections. Campaign finance, endorsements, internal politicking, and yes, horserace coverage. However, there aren't that many people covering who's ahead or behind in state legislative and municipal races, and I think it can be useful to know if someone has a chance of winning or not before you go knock doors for them.

Elections also provide me with a way to write about history! My three Reconstruction-era maps remain among the work I'm proudest of. I suspect that we are fast approaching a time when we will need to have learned the lessons of why Reconstruction failed, in order that a Third Reconstruction may succeed.

Disclosures

I serve as the paid treasurer for two Georgia campaign committees, the Committee to Elect Gabriel Sanchez (State House District 42) and Kelsea Bond for Atlanta (City Council District 2); you are welcome to check this statement against the state's list of active candidate committees. Both of those relationships are governed by contract. I also served as a paid legislative aide to Rep. Sanchez in the 2026 Georgia legislative session and have reason to believe I might have similar work in the future. I have never taken on any paid work in Rhode Island politics. I sometimes donate to campaigns I support in both states and elsewhere, which isn't a conflict of interest per se but which I disclose within reason when writing about those campaigns. (If I gave $20 to someone ten years ago, that doesn't make the cut.)

I do not gamble or bet money on prediction markets. Ever.

I occasionally use nonpublic information in my ratings, and plan to disclose future uses of such information. To date, I only recall doing this twice (and it definitely improved the quality of the ratings).

My views are my own and do not represent anyone else or any organization. I do not accept money or goods for promotions.

Contact

You can either use the form on my main website or email me at eli@elium2.com regarding any matters concerning this newsletter (or other matters). Please note that this email is not encrypted.

What powers this platform?

I'm using Ghost.

How did you decide to use Ghost?

Molly White uses it for Citation Needed, and she posted a handy chart back in 2024 comparing different platforms. (Again, my views are my own and do not represent anyone else.) I signed up for a free trial, liked it, and decided to take the plunge and start using it.