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Schumer’s Maine problem
The path for Democrats to win back the Senate in 2026 runs right through Maine. But that means defeating the five-term Republican incumbent, Susan Collins.
To date, the focus has been on 41-year-old military veteran and oyster farmer Graham Platner, who is running for the Democratic nomination. Despite coming in with zero political experience and little name recognition, he has built an army of 6,000 volunteers and raised $4 million in less than two months.
No matter where your politics fall, it’s clear he has a huge amount of talent.
But that’s not enough for Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who successfully worked behind the scenes to push term-limited Maine Gov. Janet Mills, 77, to join the race. He has since endorsed her and has greased the wheels to help with fundraising.
There is a great argument on paper for Mills, who announced her campaign on Tuesday. She is the only Democrat to win a statewide race in Maine in 20 years, has an approval rating that trounces Collins and memorably stood up to Trump in support of trans students in her state.
Being far less known is an advantage for Platner, because he has room to build support, but it also means the Mills team and the Collins team will both be working overtime to find anything from his past that can discredit him with voters.
Schumer and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee putting their thumb on the scale here in favor of an older, more traditional candidate may help Mills with fundraising, but it may be an unintended boon for Platner, who is running as an anti-establishment candidate.
All of this could be a good thing for Democrats’ hopes next year because the primary could be an actual competition, which can help drive voter interest and engagement.
Ask Jen
“Why do the Democrats have such a problem defining a platform and messaging to solidify a position that voters can identify with and support?”
— LJ Hi LJ, Most Democrats in elected office stand for a lot of things people care about, from raising the minimum wage to fighting Social Security cuts and expanding health care. Not to mention standing up for abortion rights, fighting against Immigration and Customs Enforcement overreach and calling for the release of the Epstein files. On their own, each of these positions is very powerful, but together they make for a confusing mix of messages. Recently, there has been an encouraging shift among Democrats to focus on the cost of living. In the fight over the government shutdown, Democrats have been pretty united in standing up for the expansion of health care subsidies. That’s a good fight. But as we get closer to the midterms the key test for Democrats will be both putting out their own coherent message and explaining why their opponents are wrong. There is still more work to be done on the latter. Every week, Jen selects a question to answer from a newsletter subscriber. If you have a question for Jen, submit it here and subscribe to the newsletter and for a chance to be featured in a future edition. As the chair of the House progressive caucus, Texas Rep. Greg Casar is pushing Democrats to cast a bigger net of supporters, despite whether everyone agrees on every issue. I sat down with him this week on the first episode of a brand-new season of “The Blueprint” podcast. Subscribe here to never miss an episode. Also, hear my conversation with Rachel Maddow at MSNBC Live ‘25 talking about the future of the Democratic Party and a continued discussion with hosts Jennifer Welch and Angie “Pumps” Sullivan of “I’ve Had It” podcast fame. Listen now.
Jen Psaki is the host of "The Briefing with Jen Psaki" airing Tuesdays through Fridays at 9 p.m. EST. She is the former White House press secretary for President Joe Biden. Recommended
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