Political Wire

  • Front Page
  • Members
    • Subscribe
    • Sign In
  • Trending
  • Resources
    • Politics Extra
    • Political Job Hunt
    • Political Dictionary
    • Electoral Vote Map
  • Newsletter
  • Contact Us
You are here: Home / 2026 Campaign / Political Novice Makes a Long-Shot Bid to Oust Collins

Become a member to get many great benefits -- exclusive analysis, trending news, a private podcast, no ads and more!


Political Novice Makes a Long-Shot Bid to Oust Collins

August 19, 2025 at 9:00 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Democrats who have tried and failed for years to unseat Senator Susan Collins, the veteran moderate Republican from Maine, are pinning their hopes this time on recruiting Janet Mills, the state’s seasoned Democratic governor, to challenge Ms. Collins’s bid for a sixth term next year,” the New York Times reports.

“But Ms. Mills, 77, is being circumspect about her plans for what could be one of the most competitive Senate races in the country. And some Maine Democrats believe she is too conventional a choice to defeat Ms. Collins, a powerful political force who has demonstrated her staying power.”

“Enter Graham Platner, a 40-year-old oyster farmer and former Marine who served three tours in Iraq and one in Afghanistan, and is set on Tuesday to announce a long-shot challenge to Ms. Collins, with a campaign focused on making life better for his state’s working class.”

FavoriteLoadingSave to Favorites
  • Bluesky
  • X
  • Threads
  • Facebook
  • Email

Filed Under: 2026 Campaign Tagged With: ME-Sen


You're reading the free version of Political Wire

Upgrade to a paid membership to unlock full access. The process is quick and easy. You can even use Apple Pay.

Upgrade Now

  • ✔ Become a member to get many great benefits -- exclusive analysis, trending news, a private podcast, no ads and more!
  • ✔ If you're already a member, log in for the full experience.



Recent Posts

Senate Talks Result in Breakthrough

October 8, 2025 at 1:53 pm EDTOctober 8, 2025 at 2:00 pm EDT

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) agreed to buy cookies from Sen. John Fetterman’s (D-PA) kid during a one-on-one meeting between the two senators, NBC News reports.  Save to Favorites

Man Who Led Insurrection Threatens to Invent Another

October 8, 2025 at 1:50 pm EDTOctober 8, 2025 at 2:10 pm EDT

Texas National Guard troops crossed into Illinois last night — against the explicit wishes of Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson (D) — in what amounts to…

DNC Briefs Top Democrats on 2024 Election Autopsy

October 8, 2025 at 1:15 pm EDT

“Late spending, exacerbated by a mid-battle candidate switch, and lack of attention to voters’ top concerns are among the reasons Democrats’ lost the White House last year, the Democratic National…

Americans Don’t Support National Guard Deployments

October 8, 2025 at 1:06 pm EDTOctober 8, 2025 at 1:07 pm EDT

A new Reuters/Ipsos poll found that around 58 percent of Americans — including seven in 10 Democrats and half of Republicans — feel that the president should only deploy armed…

Americans Largely Back Deportation Push

October 8, 2025 at 1:04 pm EDTOctober 8, 2025 at 1:10 pm EDT

Nine months into President Trump’s mass deportation campaign, registered voters largely support the idea of removing immigrants who have arrived in the country illegally, even as majorities say they feel…

Central Witness Undermines Case Against James Comey

October 8, 2025 at 12:22 pm EDTOctober 8, 2025 at 12:24 pm EDT

“Federal prosecutors investigating former FBI Director James Comey for allegedly making false statements to Congress determined that a central witness in their probe would prove ‘problematic’ and likely prevent them…

Pam Bondi’s Fake Orgasm

October 8, 2025 at 12:19 pm EDT

Rick Wilson compares Attorney General Pam Bondi’s testimony before a Senate committee to a fake orgasm — “loud, theatrical, sweaty, and meant to trick just one man into keeping her…

Johnson Rules Out Standalone Vote on Troops’ Pay

October 8, 2025 at 11:48 am EDTOctober 8, 2025 at 11:51 am EDT

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) ruled out taking up legislation to ensure military paychecks keep flowing during the government shutdown, Axios reports. Said Johnson: “The job in the House is done.”…

Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl

October 8, 2025 at 11:44 am EDTOctober 8, 2025 at 11:45 am EDT

The NFL’s selection of Bad Bunny for the Super Bowl halftime show has turned what objectively looked like a good business decision into the latest battleground in America’s endless culture…

Trumpworld’s Least Favorite Cabinet Secretaries

October 8, 2025 at 11:20 am EDT

Wired: “In a highly informal Inner Loop poll of presidential advisers conducted over the past week, I found that there’s a consensus building around which top officials are on the…

Trump Won’t Explain Qatar’s Security Guarantee

October 8, 2025 at 11:16 am EDTOctober 8, 2025 at 11:23 am EDT

Bloomberg: “With the stroke of his pen last week, President Donald Trump offered the tiny Gulf nation of Qatar a prize many nations have sought but few have been given:…

‘Are Aliens Real?’

October 8, 2025 at 10:39 am EDTOctober 8, 2025 at 10:39 am EDT

Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) is running for reelection with a unique message, NewsNation reports. From her fundraising email: “For decades, our government has shrouded the truth about UFOs in a…

James Comey Pleads Not Guilty

October 8, 2025 at 10:22 am EDT

Former FBI director James Comey pleaded not guilty at his arraignment Wednesday morning in federal court in Alexandria, VA, the New York Times reports. Comey’s lawyer entered the plea on…

‘Tennessee Three’ Member Challenges Steve Cohen

October 8, 2025 at 10:13 am EDT

Tennessee state Rep. Justin Pearson (D), who rose to national prominence in 2023 when he was expelled from his legislative seat as one of the “Tennessee Three,” is launching a…

The More Trump Talks, the More He Screws This Up

October 8, 2025 at 10:03 am EDTOctober 8, 2025 at 10:05 am EDT

The driving force behind Democrats embracing the government shutdown is simple: coalition maintenance. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) learned how important that is the hard way. When he backed…

Republicans Could Draw 19 More House Seats

October 8, 2025 at 9:11 am EDTOctober 8, 2025 at 9:24 am EDT

“Democratic voting rights groups are preparing for a nightmare scenario if the Supreme Court guts a key part of the landmark civil rights-era legislation, the Voting Rights Act — a…

Trump Calls for Jailing Chicago Mayor, Illinois Governor

October 8, 2025 at 9:07 am EDT

“President Trump escalated his battle with Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, saying the Democratic leaders should be imprisoned for failing to protect ICE officers,” the Wall…

Why Didn’t Biden Pardon James Comey?

October 8, 2025 at 8:20 am EDT

Three people familiar with the Biden pardon process told NOTUS that former FBI Director James Comey “was never seriously considered for a pardon.” “But two of those sources said that…

Two Democrats Appear to Grasp What Is Happening

October 8, 2025 at 8:04 am EDT

Greg Sargent: “Stephen Miller has a theory about this political moment. As President Trump expands his lawbreaking and dictatorial rule, the powerful MAGA disinformation apparatus—at Miller’s direction—is supercharging public attention…

Jon Ossoff Continues Fundraising Blitz

October 8, 2025 at 7:53 am EDT

“Sen. Jon Ossoff raised another $12 million over the last three months, bringing his campaign account to $21 million as he gears up for one of the nation’s most competitive…

« Indiana Republicans Fall in Line Behind Trump
Trump Falls for Zelensky’s Dapper Look »

Get Smarter About Politics

Members get exclusive analysis, a trending news page, the Trial Balloon podcast, bonus newsletters and no advertising. Learn more.

Subscribe

Your Account

Sign in

Latest for Members

  • Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl
  • The More Trump Talks, the More He Screws This Up
  • Republicans Have a Mess in Texas
  • Both Parties Think They’re Winning, So Nobody’s Budging
  • How This Shutdown Might End

Word of the Day

Armchair Strategist: An armchair strategist is a person who creates plans and military strategy without being directly involved in the area.

Read the full definition

About Political Wire

goddard-bw-snapshotTaegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.

Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.

Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.

Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.

Goddard is the owner of Goddard Media LLC.

Praise for Political Wire

“There are a lot of blogs and news sites claiming to understand politics, but only a few actually do. Political Wire is one of them.”

— Chuck Todd, host of “Meet the Press”

“Concise. Relevant. To the point. Political Wire is the first site I check when I’m looking for the latest political nugget. That pretty much says it all.”

— Stuart Rothenberg, editor of the Rothenberg Political Report

“Political Wire is one of only four or five sites that I check every day and sometimes several times a day, for the latest political news and developments.”

— Charlie Cook, editor of the Cook Political Report

“The big news, delicious tidbits, pearls of wisdom — nicely packaged, constantly updated… What political junkie could ask for more?”

— Larry Sabato, Center for Politics, University of Virginia

“Political Wire is a great, great site.”

— Joe Scarborough, host of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe”

“Taegan Goddard has a knack for digging out political gems that too often get passed over by the mainstream press, and for delivering the latest electoral developments in a sharp, no frills style that makes his Political Wire an addictive blog habit you don’t want to kick.”

— Arianna Huffington, founder of The Huffington Post

“Political Wire is one of the absolute must-read sites in the blogosphere.”

— Glenn Reynolds, founder of Instapundit

“I rely on Taegan Goddard’s Political Wire for straight, fair political news, he gets right to the point. It’s an eagerly anticipated part of my news reading.”

— Craig Newmark, founder of Craigslist.

Copyright © 2025 · Goddard Media LLC | Privacy Policy | Corrections Policy

Political Wire ® is a registered trademark of Goddard Media LLC