MAINE MADNESS! Why Fixing the Supreme Court Means Fixing Congress (with Michael Cohen and Sarah Isgur)

Janet Mills’ Senate bid in Maine is effectively over — not that it really got off the ground in the first place. She was supposed to be the top-tier recruit, the popular governor-turned-candidate Chuck Schumer believed could finally take down Susan Collins in a state that otherwise leans blue. Instead, she spent the entire race trailing Graham Plattner who, on paper, should’ve been far easier to beat. It didn’t matter what opposition research came out about him or how aggressively it was pushed. None of it stuck, and Mills never found a way to change the trajectory.

What stands out is how little impact the traditional playbook had. There was plenty of money, plenty of ads, and a clear attempt to define Plattner early. But the race didn’t move. If anything, it exposed a growing gap between campaign strategy and voter behavior. Mills relied heavily on air support, while Plattner was everywhere in person, constantly holding events and staying visible. That contrast ended up mattering more than anything that showed up in a negative ad.

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There’s also a broader lesson here about what kind of campaigning is working right now. The candidates who seem to break through are the ones who are constantly engaging, constantly talking, and constantly generating new moments. It’s less about message discipline and more about presence. Plattner fits that mold, and Mills never really did. She couldn’t match that energy, and in a race like this, that gap becomes impossible to ignore.

Now the dynamic shifts to the general election, where Susan Collins gets a matchup she likely prefers. She can run as the steady, familiar option against a more unpredictable opponent, which has been her formula for years. But there’s some risk in that calculation. Wanting a specific opponent doesn’t always work out the way you expect, and recent political history has a few high profile reminders of that.

Still, the immediate takeaway is simple. A highly recruited, well funded candidate lost to someone who just outworked and out-connected her. For all the sophistication in modern campaigns, this ended up being a very basic result. One candidate showed up everywhere, and the other never quite got going.

Chapters

00:00:00 - Intro

00:04:01 - Janet Mills

00:08:17 - Michael Cohen on Maine, Texas, and More

00:58:58 - Iran Options

01:04:58 - DHS Shutdown

01:06:31 - Casey Means

01:08:54 - Sarah Isgur on Supreme Court Drama

01:40:05 - Wrap-up