{"id":2365,"date":"2026-07-09T12:45:27","date_gmt":"2026-07-09T07:45:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=2365"},"modified":"2026-07-09T12:45:27","modified_gmt":"2026-07-09T07:45:27","slug":"the-brief-graham-platners-exit-would-set-up-a-busy-few-weeks-in-maine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=2365","title":{"rendered":"The Brief: Graham Platner\u2019s Exit Would Set Up a Busy Few Weeks in Maine"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"article-content\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h2-a799802f-da5a-459c-9abf-ccef18cff64b\">Maine Senate Thunderdome Here We Come?<\/h2>\n<p>Staring down the prospect of a candidate in a critical race having to be swapped out in July, with four months to go before the general election, Democrats might be feeling some PTSD. <\/p>\n<p>But even before multiple outlets reported a sexual assault accusation Monday night (which Graham Platner denies), there were signs that Platner\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/newrepublic.com\/article\/212683\/maine-senate-polls-graham-platner\" target=\"_blank\">polling was weakening<\/a> \u2014 the result of a months-long drumbeat of scandals, exhausting Democrats of all political stripes.<\/p>\n<p>Still, most polls show the party retains a lead on the generic ballot. Mainers appear to want to send a Democrat to the upper chamber. And under state rules, Platner has until Monday to drop out. State Democrats would then have until <a href=\"https:\/\/legislature.maine.gov\/statutes\/21-a\/title21-Asec374-A.html\" target=\"_blank\">the fourth Monday in July<\/a> \u2014 July 27 \u2014 to name a replacement candidate, a delicate process that has the potential to anger everyone. (Josh Marshall described proposals for a flash convention to replace Biden in 2024 <a href=\"https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/edblog\/the-end-of-thunderdome\" target=\"_blank\">as \u201cthunderdome\u201d politics<\/a> \u2014 something like that might <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/07\/06\/us\/politics\/who-would-replace-graham-platner-maine.html\" target=\"_blank\">be in the offing for Maine<\/a> as well.)<\/p>\n<p>Janet Mills, reportedly, is unlikely to be that replacement candidate, given her sleepy primary campaign. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bangordailynews.com\/2026\/07\/06\/politics\/elections\/inside-the-democratic-jockeying-to-replace-graham-platner\/\" target=\"_blank\">Most attention has focused<\/a> on candidates who lost the governor primary \u2014 Nirav Shah, who led the state\u2019s public health response through COVID; Troy Jackson, a former president of the Maine Senate; and Shenna Bellows, the current secretary of state, who lost to Susan Collins in the Senate race in 2014.<\/p>\n<p>But first, Platner has to choose to withdraw. <a href=\"https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/news\/elected-democrats-platner-maine-khanna-gallego\" target=\"_blank\">Abandoned<\/a> by the state and federal party campaign organizations and most high-profile allies, he would seem to have little choice. Still, he wants to exercise some influence over his successor, a \u201cperson familiar\u201d told the New York Times last night.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf he was to step down it would only be with a guarantee of being replaced by a candidate who he believes is true to the values and vision and policy agenda of the campaign that Maine voted for,\u201d that person said. <\/p>\n<p>July 13 is fast approaching.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h2-4691b18b-a37f-4cb1-81c3-1184ca6c22eb\">SAVE Act Switcheroo, Pt. II<\/h2>\n<div class=\"GalleryImageWrapper\">\n<h2 class=\"GalleryImageWrapper__Title\"\/>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" height=\"536\" width=\"804\" src=\"https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-2239347263.jpg?w=804\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1544208\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-2239347263.jpg 4695w, https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-2239347263.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-2239347263.jpg?resize=804,536 804w, https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-2239347263.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-2239347263.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w, https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-2239347263.jpg?resize=600,400 600w, https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-2239347263.jpg?resize=1000,667 1000w, https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-2239347263.jpg?resize=1200,800 1200w, https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-2239347263.jpg?resize=98,64 98w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 804px) 100vw, 804px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>UNITED STATES \u2013 OCTOBER 7: Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S. Dak., watches as Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., speaks during the Senate Republicans\u2019 news conference on the government shutdown following the Senate Republicans\u2019 lunch meeting in the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, October 7, 2025. (Bill Clark\/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>As <a href=\"https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/news\/johnson-has-a-not-so-new-plan-for-passing-gops-voter-suppression-bill\" target=\"_blank\">Emine Y\u00fccel reported yesterday<\/a>, Mike Johnson is once again floating the idea of doing President Trump\u2019s SAVE America Act through the budget reconciliation process.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/edblog\/are-republicans-trying-to-hoodwink-trump-on-the-save-act\" target=\"_blank\">We saw an attempt to do this in the spring, as well<\/a>. Its a story that fascinates me because it seems to be a clear attempt to basically pull the wool over Trump\u2019s eyes and declare the SAVE America Act passed without actually passing it in anything like it\u2019s current form. <\/p>\n<p>Let me explain:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Budget reconciliation is a process that lets the Senate pass legislation with a 50-vote majority, so long as it is related to the budget. <\/li>\n<li>The SAVE America Act, a sweeping voter suppression bill, is not related to the budget. <\/li>\n<li>So in order to do something called \u201cthe SAVE America Act\u201d through budget reconciliation, the Senate would have to agree to (a) blow up how the body functions and, potentially, fire the parliamentarian \u2014 something for which Sen. Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) has said he has no appetite \u2014 or (b) pass something that is not the SAVE America Act but that they call \u201cthe SAVE America Act\u201d through reconciliation.<\/li>\n<li>The times this plan has surfaced, its backers seem to land on option B: potentially some kind of block grants (budget related!) to states that impose voter ID laws and let the federal government review their voter rolls. Such a plan is very much not the SAVE America Act, an attempted federal government takeover of voting. <\/li>\n<li>The whole back and forth tells us a lot about Trump-era politics. Trump\u2019s allies in Congress seem to be betting the president won\u2019t have the attention to detail to distinguish between his signature bill (which cannot get through reconciliation) and something that is very much not his signature bill (which can). Getting Trump off congressional leaders\u2019 backs seems to be the animating objective. <\/li>\n<li>At the same time, it\u2019s playing with fire. The SAVE America Act is no joke. Any renewed Republican attempt to pass it in any form \u2014 however farcical \u2014 is worth watching. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h2-8224e2af-7ba2-4673-8797-49359acf323f\">Tabs<\/h2>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Mitch McConnell\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/07\/06\/us\/politics\/mitch-mcconell-health-hospitalization.html\" target=\"_blank\">office released a statement<\/a> yesterday that the 84-year-old former Senate Majority Leader \u201ccontinues to improve, and is working closely with his staff on Kentucky and Senate matters while the Senate is out of session.\u201d But few specifics about his condition following his hospitalization on June 14 are known.<\/li>\n<li>The bipartisan housing bill, which Trump refused to sign without action on the SAVE America Act, is on track to simply become law without a signature or veto from him, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.semafor.com\/article\/07\/07\/2026\/white-house-still-mum-on-housing-bill\" target=\"_blank\">Semafor<\/a> reports. <\/li>\n<li>\u201cA group that says it represents more than 1,500 congressional staffers is pressing House and Senate leaders to overhaul how Capitol Hill handles sexual misconduct complaints,\u201d the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/politics\/2026\/07\/07\/staffers-push-congress-new-sexual-misconduct-rules\/\" target=\"_blank\">Washington Post<\/a> reports. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h2-753e6ab9-1cde-4eef-aaae-0c707f211cef\">Man of the Hour<\/h2>\n<div class=\"GalleryImageWrapper\">\n<h2 class=\"GalleryImageWrapper__Title\"\/>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" height=\"536\" width=\"804\" src=\"https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2242326008.jpg?w=804\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1551424\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2242326008.jpg 3000w, https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2242326008.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2242326008.jpg?resize=804,536 804w, https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2242326008.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2242326008.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w, https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2242326008.jpg?resize=600,400 600w, https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2242326008.jpg?resize=1000,667 1000w, https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2242326008.jpg?resize=1200,800 1200w, https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2242326008.jpg?resize=98,64 98w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 804px) 100vw, 804px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">OGUNQUIT, MAINE \u2013 OCTOBER 22: U.S. senatorial candidate from Maine Graham Platner speaks at a town hall at the Leavitt Theater on October 22, 2025 in Ogunquit, Maine. Platner, a veteran of the U.S. Marines and an oyster farmer, is running for the seat held by Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME). (Photo by Sophie Park\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>It\u2019s <strong>Graham Platner<\/strong> for staying in the race through July despite knowing what was coming. <\/p>\n<p><em>(For those readers just joining the brief today, this category is, shall we say, an ironic one.)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script type=\"text\/javascript\">\n    window.fbAsyncInit = function() {\n      FB.init({\n        appId: \"101800829865996\",\n        xfbml: true,\n        version: ' v2.6'\n      });\n      window.fbAsyncInit.__didInit = true;\n    };\n    (function(d, s, id) {\n      var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];\n      if (d.getElementById(id)) {\n        return;\n      }\n      js = d.createElement(s);\n      js.id = id;\n      js.src = \"https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/sdk.js\";\n      fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);\n    }(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk'));\n  <\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Maine Senate Thunderdome Here We Come? Staring down the prospect of a candidate in a critical race having to be swapped out in July, with four months to go before the general election, Democrats might be feeling some PTSD. But even before multiple outlets reported a sexual assault accusation Monday night (which Graham Platner denies),&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2366,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2280189044.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2365","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-political-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2365","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2365"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2365\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2366"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2365"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2365"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2365"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}