Susan Collins Stakes Future On Quiet Trump Pushback

Semafor: “In other battleground Senate races this fall, voters must choose between a combative Democrat and a Trump-friendly Republican. Maine’s battle pits that type of Democrat, former statehouse leader Troy Jackson, against a rarer breed in Collins: She’s the only incumbent Senate Republican who criticizes Trump in public while using her personal connections to reverse some of his actions.”

“It’s not clear whether Collins’ backchanneling will be enough to satisfy anti-Trump voters in Maine — or at least enough of them to put her over the top yet again. But her strategy will become a national political story on Tuesday night, when Jackson and Collins kick off a series of Senate debates.”