Sen. Susan Collins says she has no opinion on who Democrats pick to run against her — the same noncommittal crouch she uses on every vote that matters, and the one that always ends with her crossing the aisle when it counts.
Graham Platner formally withdrew from the Maine Senate race on Friday, writing in a letter to the secretary of state: "I write to formally withdraw my candidacy for United States Senate. Please consider this notice as my official withdrawal from consideration for this office." The withdrawal, confirmed by secretary of state aide Jana Spaulding, came two days after he suspended his campaign following a rape accusation from a former girlfriend, which he denied. If Platner had missed Monday's 5 p.m. deadline, his name would have stayed on November ballots — a catastrophe for state Democrats already reeling from the scandal.
Now Maine Democrats have to build a replacement process from scratch. A convention of 601 delegates in Bangor on July 25 will select a new nominee, according to the Portland Press Herald. At least six candidates have already lined up for the abbreviated contest, the New York Times reported — three failed gubernatorial candidates, two House primary losers, and one former Senate dropout. A bench of rejects.
Collins, speaking at the Moxie Festival in Lisbon on Saturday, was unbothered. "It's really up to the Democrats," she said. "I play absolutely no role in the choosing of a new Democratic opponent." She added she has "no preference or prediction" on whom she'll face and that Platner's exit won't change her strategy. "We're just going to continue to work as hard as we possibly can," Collins said.
There's the tell. Collins' campaign has two pillars: bragging about federal dollars she brings to Maine — the earmark game that keeps the Uniparty fed — and attacking Platner's baggage. Now the baggage is gone. Her strategy, she insists, won't change. That means voters can expect more of the same: a senator who campaigns on bringing home pork while voting with Democrats on the nominations and spending bills that keep Washington's permanent class in business.
The Washington Examiner framed the Maine race as "essentially gone for Democrats," pointing to the party's Senate map problems nationwide. Maybe. But Collins has survived before by playing the moderate card while delivering the votes the establishment needs. The Examiner's broader analysis — a Democratic House, Republican Senate, frozen Trump agenda — actually suits Collins just fine. Gridlock means no accountability, and no accountability means the spending keeps flowing.
The Press Herald noted that Collins' campaign has focused on her ability to bring federal dollars to Maine. That's not a feature. That's the whole racket — the perpetual incumbent who makes the case that she's indispensable because she steers your money back to you after taking a cut for D.C.
Six Democrats will now fight for the chance to face a five-term incumbent who has never lost. The convention is July 25. The question isn't who Democrats pick. The question is whether Maine voters will ever get a senator who picks them over the Uniparty.
