https://www.washingtonsun.com/maine Maine en-US Thu, 10 Sep 2026 09:06:00 GMT https://www.washingtonsun.com/campaigns/susan-collins-maine-election-trump-isnt-helping Al Weaver A Canada trade war, an ICE shooting and Iran. How much more can Susan Collins take from Trump and still win? Thu, 10 Sep 2026 09:06:00 GMT https://www.washingtonsun.com/campaigns/susan-collins-maine-election-trump-isnt-helping BATH, Maine — The sun has just emerged from over the Kennebec River, and Republican Sen. Susan Collins is ready to greet workers ahead of the first shift at Bath Iron Works.

Shipbuilders, machinists and welders arrive in fits and starts ahead of the 7 a.m. whistle. Collins and roughly a dozen supporters and campaign staff have one goal: for these union workers to gobble up boxes of T-shirts. The navy blue tees feature “SUSAN” on the pocket (the “USA” in red, white and blue, of course) and “BATH BUILT IS BEST BUILT” displayed around the silhouette of a Navy destroyer.

“T-shirts! Get your T-shirts here!” one staffer yells as workers approach, doing his best impression of a hot dog vendor at a minor league baseball game.

The moment is important for Collins’ team, who confide before the predawn event that it’s a test of sorts. If workers take the shirts? A good sign of where the senator is two months out from Mainers deciding whether to hand her a sixth term in office. And if they don’t? An ominous sign of her prospects.

Luckily for them, medium and 2XL shirts are gone with time to spare before work starts. Even those not taking the shirts are polite enough, telling staffers, “Thanks, I’m all set,” or a straight up “No, thank you,” with minimal hostilities.
Susan_Collins_Bath_09012026_16 copy.jpg (5541x3694, AR: 1.50)There’s a reason the crew was very familiar with Collins. She’s helped steer billions of dollars and years of Pentagon contracts to the shipyard, which is the state’s fourth-largest employer. Troy Jackson, the Democratic nominee, has widespread union support, but Collins retains some loyalty among working-class voters.

Collins Argues Her Senate Seniority Translates Into Millions for Maine

It’s part of yet another all-politics-is-local strategy that Collins, the Senate Appropriations Committee chair, is banking on to lock down another term. Check out a sampling of her ads or campaign appearances and the message is clear: She’s responsible for securing money to rebuild a fire station or other local projects that generate jobs. That constituent services work is what Democrats concede is formidable.

“It’s given me a once-in-a-century opportunity to really deliver for the people of Maine. … I have delivered for small communities all across the state,” Collins told The Washington Sun in an interview, noting that 45 new and rebuilt fire stations exist due to federal money she’s brought home. “That matters.”

Despite that pitch, Collins finds herself in yet another reelection dogfight where she’s working to defy political gravity.

She’s the lone Senate Republican representing a state carried by former Vice President Kamala Harris two years ago. But increasingly it’s the impact of President Donald Trump’s policies that is causing her constituents to consider electing a Democrat.

Trump’s Immigration and Trade Policies Cause Headaches 

An Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent shot and killed a Colombian national in Biddeford, Maine, less than two months ago amid a surge of operations in nearby Portland. But the individual wasn’t the target of the ICE operation, and the fallout has rippled across the state.

More recently, trade negotiations with Canada went belly-up, leading to a nasty break in a longstanding relationship. Collins has pleaded with the administration to resume negotiations, as her state shares a 611-mile border with the neighbor to the north and exported $1.3 billion worth of goods to Canada last year —- 41% of the state’s exports. Instead, the president is posting memes about the Canadian prime minister.

“It is [a lot]. It’s certainly not helpful. There’s no doubt about that,” Collins told The Sun, adding that voters are “perplexed” and “more puzzled than anything” about the Canada trade war.

According to a Fox News poll taken in early August, 59% of voters in the state view Trump unfavorably — and that was before the trade spat.

It’s also not an accident that Collins is trying to put more distance between herself and the president. During an event in Biddeford, Collins called on ICE to enact more reforms beyond the recent equipping of agents with body cameras. She argued the agency should stop making arrests at “sensitive” locales, including schools, hospitals, doctors offices and places of worship.

She also criticized the president’s lack of strategy for launching a war with Iran, which has reached a seventh month and has grown deeply unpopular with Americans.
Pete Hegseth (4987x3325, AR: 1.50)“The president clearly did not have a well-thought-out plan for how to deal with Iran. To me, it was utterly predictable that Iran would close the Strait of Hormuz,” she told reporters. “That should not have come as a surprise, and the administration and the Department of Defense should have been prepared for that.”

Gas prices in the state are averaging more than $4 per gallon. Mainers are also bracing for rising heating oil costs in the coming months, an issue that could crop up closer to Election Day.

The series of events has Collins’ allies wondering how much more of this she can handle and still win. One source close to the longtime senator noted that of all the potential administration-induced impediments that could crop up, a second ICE shooting is the one that worries them the most and could be too difficult to overcome.

“It’s frustrating. It’s almost exhausting,” Jason Levesque, the former Republican mayor of Auburn, Maine, and a political commentator, said of the string of happenings.

Collins has never been a favorite of the president, and the feeling is mutual.

He said in June that she is “not my best friend at all,” all the while touting her vote streak even though “sometimes she voted against me.” While Trump has indicated support for her, there is a gulf between the two, as they don’t have much of a relationship.

“They don’t interact often,” the source close to Collins said, noting that they have cordial interactions when they see each other at White House events.

“She’s not calling him about policy stuff, and he’s not calling her either,” the source added.

Instead, her preferred point of contact in the administration is Vice President JD Vance, who she became friendly with during his brief senatorial tenure.
Vance (2884x1923, AR: 1.50)Vance recently told supporters during a late-August event in the state that Collins has been to the Naval Observatory at least a half-dozen times, yet is “the most independent member” of the Senate and “sometimes makes my job just a little bit harder.”

There’s a different type of independence that will be a factor in November. For the first time during the Trump era, Collins will be running without the president on the ballot.

Although the two are like oil and water politically, they complemented each other well across the state in 2020, with Trump giving Collins a boost in rural areas while she overperformed him along the coast. She toppled Sara Gideon, her Democratic opponent, by 8.5 percentage points and cleared 50%, bypassing the state’s ranked choice system entirely.

This go-round, Collins has sought to beef up her support with some of Trump’s most ardent backers. She repaired what was once a fraught relationship with former Republican Maine Gov. Paul LePage, the favorite to succeed Rep. Jared Golden in the 2nd Congressional District.

She’s relying on her record controlling federal spending bills, including what she has procured for rural areas. Collins has touted that she secured more than $428 million in earmarks for the state. She also has the financial muscle to get that message out after being drowned out by Democratic spending in 2020.

“I know the people of rural Maine. I am one of the people of rural Maine,” she said. “I think people understand authenticity and that they also appreciate how hard I work for rural Maine.”

Collins admits the race against Jackson, the former state Senate president who only entered the race after Graham Platner’s swift exit stage left after being accused of sexual assault, is not the race she expected.

“We had to start all over again,” Collins said. “This is the strangest race I’ve ever seen.”

Democrats Work to Nationalize the Race After Platner’s Messy Exit 

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has maintained a defiant face about the race, repeatedly declaring that this is the year the party topples Collins. Democrats note that Collins’ approval rating has never been lower and that she votes with Trump at a healthy clip. And they stress that Collins’ vote to confirm Trump’s Supreme Court nominees helped put a stake in Roe v. Wade.

But Democrats in the state remain less sure this strategy will work.

One Maine-based Democratic operative argued that the path for Democrats centers around nationalizing the race and keeping Jackson as generic of a candidate as possible, something Republicans are quickly trying to change. Outside groups — and even Collins herself — have pointed to Jackson’s having two children with his longtime partner, who is his second cousin.

“If Democrats and Troy can keep this race about Donald Trump, affordability and what Susan Collins has or hasn’t done to help with those things, put a check on those things, then Troy has a path to victory, even though it is hard,” the operative said.
Troy_Jackson_Lewiston_09012026_26 copy.jpg (5600x3733, AR: 1.50)“The challenge is if this race becomes about Susan Collins versus Troy Jackson or anybody else,” they continued. “Susan Collins versus a specific person is really hard because Susan Collins is not a bad politician.”

Even Jackson’s most ardent supporters acknowledge that overcoming Collins’ long-standing ties is a high hurdle.

“I think he’s got a very challenging road ahead,” Portland’s Democratic mayor, Mark Dion, who was among those introducing Jackson at his first town hall in Lewiston, told The Sun in an interview.

The party is still picking up the pieces after Platner’s implosion in July, which forced party activists to choose a replacement that some voters are still smarting over. During his Lewiston town hall, a self-described independent who votes Democratic pressed Jackson, pointing to advertisements that “keep referring to ‘our movement’ that ‘we built.’”

“It feels disingenuous because the movement that was building was built by someone else,” said Tori Leigh. “You weren’t elected by the voters.”

“You are right. I didn’t build this movement. I’ve been saying that all along,” Jackson responded. “This isn’t about Troy Jackson. But I don’t even think this is about Graham. I think it’s about people across this state that know there’s something fundamentally wrong with the way things are going.”

Jackson peppered the rally with criticisms of Collins, arguing that she has lost touch with the state — citing her decision against holding town hall meetings. The pair recently agreed to four debates, with the first one set for Oct. 6.

The biggest roar at the town hall came when Jackson pressed that ICE should be “eliminated.”

There are also fears of an enthusiasm gap on the left.

Multiple attendees at the Lewiston event were quick to note that Platner held a standing room only event at the same location last fall that also featured a place for an overflow crowd. The Jackson event, meanwhile, featured dozens of empty seats in the back of the room.
Troy_Jackson_Lewiston_09012026_04 copy.jpg (6000x4000, AR: 1.50)The Maine-based Democratic operative argued that while state Democrats have reasons for excitement now, that’s “mostly fueled by being mad at Collins, not excited for Troy.”

Other top Democrats conceded that the winds have shifted since the Platner exodus.

“He’s not a pop star. He’d be the first one to tell you that,” Dion said of Jackson, adding that he is more than willing to trade “pop star status for competency.”

Polling since Jackson’s entrance has been limited, with a pair of surveys taken since the start of August showing him in a lead within the margin of error. Operatives from both parties are quick to note that the state is notoriously hard to poll.

Another question surrounding Jackson is whether he can win over enough independents and Democrats who’ve backed Collins over the years. If the Lewiston event is any indication, he has some work to do.

Tom Soule, a Democrat and a retired school principal from nearby Bowdoinham, noted that he’s supported Collins throughout the years but is considering supporting Jackson in order to more effectively take on Trump. He wasn’t a fan of Platner’s but showed up to check out Jackson’s pitch.

But Jackson’s inability to explain how he would enact change rather than tick through his positions on issues frustrated him.

He ended up leaving the event early, telling The Sun on his way out: “Not impressed.”]]> https://www.washingtonsun.com/2026-election/maine-gubernatorial-candidate-sister-backs-opponent Avani Kalra Republican Bobby Charles’ sister cited his positions on abortion and education policy in endorsing Democrat Hannah Pingree. Wed, 09 Sep 2026 20:15:02 GMT https://www.washingtonsun.com/2026-election/maine-gubernatorial-candidate-sister-backs-opponent A sibling dispute is now playing out in the governor’s race in Maine, where the sister of Republican nominee Bobby Charles said publicly that she’s supporting his opponent.

Anita Charles, a Lewiston resident, wrote in the Portland Press Herald that she and her brother have never agreed politically but have historically managed their divisions with “civility.” But, she said, an increasing amount of divisive language in her brother’s campaign has motivated her to endorse the Democratic nominee, Hannah Pingree.

Anita Charles wrote in the op-ed that the pair’s mother taught them to respect diversity and treat others with “dignity” while growing up in Maine.

“Those lessons shaped my entire life, as well as my career,” Anita Charles wrote. “They are also the reason I cannot support my brother’s campaign for governor.”

Noting she has been a “lifelong educator,” Anita Charles said she specifically opposes her brother’s proposed policies for Maine’s education system and criticized his comments on the public school system.

Bobby Charles has expressed support for a Republican-backed agenda that increases parental involvement in curriculum and ends diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in schools. He’s dubbed the program a “no-nonsense” plan.

“I do not believe Bobby has set foot in a public school since he was 18,” Anita Charles wrote. “He has not witnessed what Maine educators do every day, yet he speaks with false certainty about what is wrong with our schools. He’s a D.C. lobbyist who spent more than 30 years in Washington.”

She also noted her brother’s relationship with disgraced former House Speaker Dennis Hastert, who admitted to sexually abusing teenage boys and covering up the abuse. Anita Charles wrote that she was the victim of sexual violence by an adult as a child, a fact she said her brother has known for more than 50 years.

She added that her brother’s position on abortion is also difficult for her to accept as a victim of sexual assault. Bobby Charles has called himself “unapologetically pro-life.”

“Maine deserves leadership rooted in empathy, dignity, intellectual honesty and respect for every person who calls this state home,” Anita Charles wrote. “That person is not Bobby. That is why I cannot, in good conscience, support my brother’s campaign for governor. I’m casting my vote for Hannah Pingree.”

Bobby Charles told local media Wednesday that he loves his sister and called for a broader discussion over their disagreements on various policy issues including education, public safety and abortion, News Center Maine reported.

The candidate grew emotional while speaking about his sister’s assault, clarifying his views on abortion.

"I don't believe in late-term abortion, he said. “I don't think the public should be paying for abortions, but it's not my big issue. And to be honest, that kind of a situation is so horrifying that, of course, there are exceptions.”

A poll commissioned by the Portland Press Herald and The New York Times and conducted by Siena Research in June found that Pingree had a sizable lead over Charles, with 50% of voters saying they’d vote for her to Charles’ 36%.

Bobby Charles’ campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Washington Sun.]]> https://www.washingtonsun.com/2026-election/labor-day-rally-planned-graham-platner-speech Associated Press Platner had been scheduled to speak Monday at the rally in Ellsworth. Thu, 03 Sep 2026 13:10:58 GMT https://www.washingtonsun.com/2026-election/labor-day-rally-planned-graham-platner-speech By Patrick Whittle

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Former Democratic Senate nominee Graham Platner is no longer set to speak at a Labor Day rally when he makes his first major public appearance since ending his campaign against Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine.

Platner, who won the nomination in June but dropped out in July after Politico reported that a former girlfriend said he sexually assaulted her, had been scheduled to speak Monday at the rally in Ellsworth, near his hometown of Sullivan. He has denied the allegations.

Platner was expected to speak about labor history and the importance of unions in the U.S. Event organizers were urged not to let him speak by the former girlfriend and another woman who has accused him of domestic abuse.

Organizers said Wednesday that the planned speech was drawing negative media attention, and he will instead lead a veterans' march after the rally.

“Graham is not speaking,” said Carol Leonard of Hancock County Activists, a progressive group organizing the rally. “The media frenzy got just too insane, and we became concerned about safety.”

Platner is an oyster farmer and combat veteran who filled theaters around Maine during a barnstorming campaign that resulted in a decisive win over Gov. Janet Mills, who suspended her campaign before the primary.

He has no experience in elected office but fashioned a campaign focused on working-class issues such as the high costs of housing and healthcare.

Platner’s campaign was frequently interrupted by scandals, such as the emergence in late May of media reports that he previously exchanged sexually explicit text messages with several women while he was married.

High-profile backers including independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders stood by him in the wake of those allegations, but his support crumbled after the sexual assault allegations surfaced.

Platner also had a tattoo recognized as a Nazi symbol, though he said he did not realize its association with Nazism until he was several weeks into the campaign. He later had the tattoo covered up with a different design.

Platner also apologized for old online comments that included insulting language about women, police and rural residents.

After he dropped out of the race, Democrats held a nominating convention in July in which they chose former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson to run against Collins.

Jackson, who got the Senate nomination after losing a gubernatorial primary, campaigned with Platner in the spring but has distanced himself from him following the sexual assault allegations.

The Ellsworth event is scheduled for midday and will include speakers, live music and the veterans' march.]]> https://www.washingtonsun.com/maine/bobby-charles-governor-tom-homan-ice-agent-polling Jenna Monnin Bobby Charles is running against Democrat Hannah Pingree in Maine. Wed, 26 Aug 2026 16:51:40 GMT https://www.washingtonsun.com/maine/bobby-charles-governor-tom-homan-ice-agent-polling Maine gubernatorial candidate Bobby Charles said he plans to ask White House border czar Tom Homan to send U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to Maine polling stations this election season.

If Charles succeeds, the move could validate long-held fears by many in the Democratic Party that President Donald Trump could use immigration agents to intimidate voters or assist in potential efforts to tamper with election results.

“I’m going to ask Tom — three or four weeks before the election, maybe three — I’m going to make an appeal for ICE and marshals to be at our voting booths,” Charles said last week in an audio recording obtained and reported first by the Bangor Daily News Wednesday. “Do you think the illegals who are being paid money are going to like that?”

The Republican nominee’s comments come as the state is still grappling with the death of Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero, a Columbian national who was shot and killed by ICE on July 13 in Biddeford, Maine. Durán Guerrero was not the intended target of the operation, but his killing sparked heated protests against federal immigration enforcement in the state.

Charles called Homan a “friend” and added that the pair “used to be on Fox [News] all the time together” at a gathering with Maine Young Republicans on Aug. 20. It appears to be the first time a midterm candidate said they plan to ask the federal government to deploy immigration agents to polling locations.

The comment is in line with President Donald Trump’s push to crack down on noncitizen voting — though there is little evidence to support the idea that noncitizens are voting in large numbers or that massive enforcement efforts would have stopped the few who have been caught.

Deploying ICE agents to polling locations may also be illegal under federal statutes that prohibit federal officials from interfering with elections and intimidating voters. Federal law enforcement officials or “armed men” are also prohibited where an “election is held.”

ICE referred NOTUS to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin’s comments during his confirmation hearing, where he said “the only reason why my officers would be there is if there was a specific threat for them to be there, not for intimidation.”

The U.S. Marshals Service did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Republican nominee’s campaign did not dispute the remark when reached by NOTUS — though Charles’ campaign manager, Dale Crafts, Jr., added that the “point is that Bobby will do everything legally possible to prevent illegal voting in Maine.” 

Democrats quickly voiced their opposition to Charles’ plan, with Devon Murphy-Anderson, Maine’s Democratic Party executive director, calling the push for ICE at Maine’s polling locations “not only deeply alarming — it is likely illegal.”

Maine’s Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, a Democrat who is tasked with overseeing the elections process, affirmed that federal law enforcement officials are “prohibited from being at the polls on Election Day.”

“Bobby Charles can call whoever he wants, but he can’t change the Constitution or the law,” Bellows told the Bangor Daily News.

Some in Trump’s inner circle have floated sending ICE agents to the polls, but the administration has said they will not pursue the enforcement efforts.

Trump’s former chief strategist Steve Bannon said earlier this year that deploying ICE agents to U.S. airports would be a “perfect training for the fall of 2026,” but the Department of Homeland Security told election officials “there will be no ICE presence at polling locations for this election” in a virtual meeting in February.

Charles is set to face Pingree in November. The Republican faces an uphill climb in the race, which is rated “solid D” by Cook Political Report. Vice President JD Vance backed Charles earlier this week at a rally in Maine, but Trump has yet to formally back the Republican candidate.

“My opponent is on the internet pretending he is no longer a proxy for Donald Trump, and meanwhile he is begging Trump’s ICE to come interfere with our free and fair elections,” Pingree told NOTUS. “I think that conduct speaks for itself and I trust the Maine people to see it for what it is.”

Democrats are heading into the election with the advantage, and Charles has made efforts to distance himself from the president. At a campaign event last week, the Republican told voters he does not know Trump.

“But, I will work with him,” Charles said. “I will also stand up against him if he opposes something Maine needs.”]]> https://www.washingtonsun.com/2026-election/planned-parenthood-susan-collins-ad-buy Torrie Herrington The group’s PAC will spend $600,000 on spots criticizing Collins for supporting Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation to the Supreme Court. Mon, 17 Aug 2026 22:03:55 GMT https://www.washingtonsun.com/2026-election/planned-parenthood-susan-collins-ad-buy Planned Parenthood’s political action committee says it will spend $600,000 on ads against Sen. Susan Collins — the organization's biggest ad investment this cycle.

Planned Parenthood Votes plans to use the ad campaign to criticize the Maine Republican, who is up for reelection, for voting to confirm Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who later supported the high court’s decision overturning Roe v. Wade.

One of the ads, which has already been available on YouTube, features a Maine woman who said she regrets her vote for Collins.

“I can’t take my vote back, but I will not make the same mistake twice,” the woman in the ad says. “I’m done hoping Susan Collins will do the right thing.”

While Collins has said she disagrees with the court’s Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision, which found the Constitution does not protect a right to abortions, she has also said she stands by her support for Kavanaugh’s confirmation.

“I do not regret that vote,” she told reporters in June. Collins said she disagrees with the court’s Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision, which found the Constitution does not protect a right to abortions.

Collins faces Democratic challenger Troy Jackson, who was nominated by Maine Democrats after the former nominee, Graham Platner, dropped out of the race over to sexual assault allegations, which he has denied.

The ad buy in Maine is part of Planned Parenthood Votes’ $47 million campaign this cycle.

In 2018, before Collins voted to confirm Kavanaugh, Planned Parenthood Action Fund also made a six-figure ad buy, launching spots urging Collins not to support him.

Planned Parenthood’s Maine Action Fund issued a memo in May 2025 backing Collins, saying, in part, “Mainers can count on Senator Susan Collins’ long record of supporting family planning programs.” The memo was available on the Planned Parenthood website until July this year.

Planned Parenthood Action endorsed Platner in June, a few weeks after The New York Times reported on his “unsettling” behavior. The PAC rescinded its endorsement of Platner on July 6.

A spokesperson for Collins said in a statement to NOTUS that Planned Parenthood “cares more about electing Democrats than any issue,” and noted the group’s support for Collins previously and the Platner endorsement.

“Now they are endorsing a candidate who as recently as 2013 received a 100% pro life rating,” Blake Kernen, a spokesperson for Collins, said. “As Planned Parenthood itself said, Susan Collins has always supported access to care for Mainers and all Americans, and she will continue to do so.”

This story has been updated with a statement from a Collins spokesperson.]]> https://www.washingtonsun.com/money/citizens-united-maine-super-pacs Taylor Giorno But in federal court today, free speech advocates defended the right of political donors to make unlimited contributions to certain political groups. Wed, 29 Jul 2026 21:02:45 GMT https://www.washingtonsun.com/money/citizens-united-maine-super-pacs In a federal appeals court in Boston on Wednesday, free speech advocates sparred with the state of Maine and an allied nonprofit organization that want to cap unlimited contributions to super PACs and other big-money political groups.

The state of Maine and Equal Citizens, a nonprofit group founded by Harvard law professor and erstwhile presidential candidate Larry Lessig, are fighting to restore a Maine law capping individual contributions to certain big-spending political groups, such as super PACs, at $5,000.

They’re hoping to take their case all the way to the Supreme Court.

But they faced stiff resistance Wednesday from opponents who argue that spending by outside political groups — groups that raise and spend money to influence elections but are not allowed to coordinate directly with candidates — is a protected form of political speech.

Two super PACs, Dinner Table Action and For Our Future, sued Maine state election officials — successfully — to stop the law, which Maine voters overwhelmingly approved in 2024, from going into effect.

“The American people have a First Amendment right to assemble and to associate, to engage in political speech, and particularly election-related speech, free of infringement from many laws,” Charles "Chip" Miller, a senior attorney at the Institute for Free Speech, which is representing the super PACs, said Wednesday. “That is what we're here talking about today. That's what independent expenditures are. It's the association of individuals to get together to speak.”

But Americans across the political spectrum overwhelmingly believe there is too much money in U.S. politics, according to recent polling by Politico, Pew Research Center and others.

The 2026 midterm election is expected to be the most expensive non-presidential cycle on record, with well-funded super PACs — including the president’s MAGA Inc. and those controlled by cryptocurrency, artificial intelligence and sports-betting industries — poised to play a major role in shaping the election landscape.

Maine is one of several states that’s attempted to limit the amount of money flowing into their elections, which has exploded since 2010, when the Supreme Court greenlit unlimited spending by outside groups in its Citizens United v. FEC decision.

“This case presents a single question: When the people of Maine decided, by the largest vote in the state's 206-year history, that unlimited super PAC contributions were corrupting their elections, did the First Amendment leave them powerless? It did not,” Neal Katyal, a partner at Milbank LLP, who successfully argued against President Donald Trump’s tariffs at the Supreme Court earlier this year, said during oral arguments Wednesday.

Lessig previously told the Maine Morning Star he had expected a legal challenge, and Equal Citizens joined the case to defend the contribution limits.

Lessig’s stated goal is to get the case to the Supreme Court, which he argues hasn’t grappled directly with the constitutionality of unlimited political contributions.

A few months after the Citizens United decision, a federal appeals court in D.C. applied the Supreme Court ruling to another case called SpeechNow.org v. FEC. The court ruled then that contribution limits, not just spending limits, were lawful, as did other appeals courts — and this is the precedent Maine and Equal Citizens are targeting.

“The strategy is to get this case to the Supreme Court with the First Circuit coming into contradiction with the precedents of other Circuits including the Second, Fifth, Seventh, Ninth, Tenth — and, most importantly, the DC Circuit,” Maia Cook, Equal Citizens’ executive director, wrote in a statement to NOTUS.

In a written statement to NOTUS ahead of oral argument, Miller said the Maine ballot measure “strikes at the heart of the First Amendment by severely limiting political speech.”

“There is no legitimate government interest in limiting contributions to groups that make only independent expenditures,” Miller wrote.

The odds that the case makes it to the Supreme Court would rise if the federal appeals court sides with Maine and Equal Citizens, which would create a tantalizing “circuit split” for the court.

Last July, a U.S. magistrate judge stopped Maine from enforcing the law, which she called “unconstitutional on its face.”

The federal appeals court is expected to rule in November or December, although there’s no official timeline for releasing the decision.

Even if the case gets to the Supreme Court, however, Maine faces an uphill battle.

Conservative justices have sympathized with arguments that super PACs erode the power of political parties, in part fueling their decision last month to strike down coordination limits between political party committees and candidates.

But that doesn’t mean justices are willing to limit super PACs’ ability to spend as much money as they want to advocate for or against political candidates.

“[D]onors can and do send their funds to Super PACs and other outside groups that have a First Amendment right to receive and spend unlimited money to support their independent political speech,” conservative Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote in the opinion last month.]]> https://www.washingtonsun.com/campaigns/chuck-schumer-troy-jackson-working-together Torrie Herrington The Maine Senate candidate has said in past interviews that he would not support Schumer as leader next year. Wed, 29 Jul 2026 20:53:32 GMT https://www.washingtonsun.com/campaigns/chuck-schumer-troy-jackson-working-together Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said he met with Democratic Maine Senate hopeful Troy Jackson Wednesday morning.

“We had a great meeting this morning,” Schumer told reporters. “We're working together to win the seat, beat Susan Collins and take back the Senate.”

It’s the first time the New York Democrat has publicly commented on the race since calling for Graham Platner to drop out of the race after sexual assault allegations.

None of Jackson’s potential Senate colleagues have endorsed him since the Maine Democratic Party selected him as the new nominee last Saturday, according to his endorsements page. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) had endorsed Jackson during his earlier gubernatorial run this year. That support has not carried over to Jackson’s Senate campaign: Sanders campaigned heavily for Platner before the allegations broke.

Jackson, like several Senate candidates this cycle, has said he would not support Schumer as leader next year.

“The Democratic Party needs to have a different approach — getting people back in the party, getting working-class, everyday people back in the party — and I don’t believe it’s going to happen with Senator Schumer,” Jackson said in an interview with The New York Times earlier this month.

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee backed Jackson’s nomination after it was made official.

“Troy Jackson is a fifth-generation logger with a demonstrated ability to win,” Schumer and Chair Kirsten Gillibrand (D-New York) said in a statement that day. “A champion for affordable health care and working people, Jackson has harnessed the grassroots energy in Maine and is well-positioned to defeat Susan Collins, who is more vulnerable than she has ever been.”

Jackson has also earned the endorsement of former Vice President Kamala Harris, who won Maine by nearly 7 percentage points during her presidential run in 2024.]]> https://www.washingtonsun.com/2026-election/platner-campaign-donor-refund Oriana González “Anything that we can do to try to take resources out of the hands of predators is worth it,” Cheyenne Hunt told NOTUS. Wed, 29 Jul 2026 09:19:00 GMT https://www.washingtonsun.com/2026-election/platner-campaign-donor-refund Cheyenne Hunt watched Rep. Eric Swalwell use campaign funds for legal fees after sexual assault allegations chased him out of Congress. She decided to do something to not watch Graham Platner do the same.

Hunt, a prominent activist and lawyer, launched her organization Reckoning Action in response to the accusations against Swalwell with the goal of ending misogyny in the workplace. After Swalwell, she knew she “had to get a little bit scrappier about how we do this,” Hunt told NOTUS in an interview.

Ultimately, her organization decided to text Platner’s donors directly and teach them how they can get refunds from his campaign.

“Anything that we can do to try to take resources out of the hands of predators is worth it,” Hunt said.

Swalwell dropped out of the California governor’s race and resigned from Congress in early April after multiple women, including one of his former staffers, accused him of sexual assault. He has denied the accusations. Recent Federal Election Commission filings show that Swalwell spent $50,000 in campaign money on defense attorney Sara Azari, who specializes in “#metoo defense,” according to her website. Days after Swalwell resigned, Azari’s firm hired a private investigator who looked into the sexual assault allegations, NOTUS first reported.

Platner, who ended his Senate campaign after being accused of sexual assault, presented a different challenge for Reckoning Action. The group sought legal advice and then informed the women who accused Platner of sexual assault “that there was a good chance that they were being watched and looked into,” Hunt said.

“That is deeply unsettling for survivors after having to go through this incredibly invasive process of bringing that forward,” Hunt said. Platner had $1.7 million cash on hand at the end of last month, according to the most recent FEC data available, and Hunt was concerned that he could use that money “against these survivors.”

Platner’s campaign did not respond to NOTUS’ request for comment.

Reckoning Action sent automated texts signed by Hunt to donors with the following message: “If you donated to Graham Platner and feel betrayed, you’re not alone. You signed up to help elect a champion for freedom and equality and take back the Senate — not to fund a predator.” The text linked to a Reckoning Action website with instructions on how to get the refunds.

Hunt told NOTUS that in the hours after they sent that text to “thousands” of donors on July 16, more than 300 people visited the landing page.

Many political donors use the platform ActBlue to contribute to Democratic campaigns. The site allows refunds within 90 days of the payment. Reckoning Action advised donors to contact ActBlue if the donation is older than 90 days or to contact Platner’s campaign directly to request a refund.

The FEC does not allow campaign funds to be used for personal use, but it does allow that money to be used to cover legal expenses related to campaign activity, “where such expenses would not have occurred had the individual not been a candidate or officeholder,” according to its official website.

There’s nothing that directly prohibits a candidate or an elected official from using campaign funds to fight sexual misconduct allegations.

While Hunt and her organization reached out to Platner’s financial supporters, they were also in touch with lawmakers about changing the law. On Tuesday, Reps. Ro Khanna (D-California) and Anna Paulina Luna (R-Florida) introduced the No Campaign Funded Cover-Ups Act, a bill that would prohibit candidates and elected officials on the federal level from using campaign money to cover costs related to sexual misconduct claims.

It’s unclear whether the bill will become law, even with bipartisan support.

“Survivors must be heard and respected. Our bipartisan legislation addresses a basic principle: money donated to support a political campaign should not become a personal legal-defense fund for alleged sexual misconduct,” Khanna said in a statement.

Luna concurred in a statement: “If a candidate is accused of sexual assault, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment, campaign donations and legal expense funds should never become a personal bailout. If you commit sexual misconduct, you should foot the bill, not the donors who put their trust in you.”

Platner has denied he sexually assaulted anyone. In an 11-minute video posted on X, he said the allegations were “false” and were “used by the political establishment” to kick him off the ballot in the Maine Senate race.

The reactions from donors to Reckoning Action’s text were mixed.

“Those that were negative definitely echoed the sentiments in his video,” Hunt said. “This concept of not really taking accountability, and that this was something that was happening to him versus a product of his own misconduct and his own lack of honesty. So that was hard.”

“That’s just so disconnected from reality,” Hunt added.

But Platner’s many scandals have already made a dent in his campaign finances. His campaign committee refunded more than $43,000 to donors from late May to June 30, according to its most recent financial report. Those refunds happened at a time when he was dealing with reports of sexual text messages with women outside of his marriage.

“I’m feeling pretty optimistic that we will have put another sizable dent in that campaign account,” Hunt said.

The discussion around sexual misconduct in Congress has spurred lawmakers to create legislation to address sexual misconduct, beyond the Khanna-Luna bill. Rep. Jeff Crank (R-Colorado) recently introduced a resolution to prohibit House lawmakers from having romantic relationships with any House employee.

The Republican and Democratic women’s caucuses are preparing to release recommendations after the August recess around overhauling how the House handles sexual misconduct allegations. Both Speaker Mike Johnson and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries have blessed the effort.

“We’re protecting women. We’re protecting the staff,” Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez, chair of the Democratic Women’s Caucus, told reporters last week. “We’re protecting the really brilliant people who choose to come and work for us.”]]> https://www.washingtonsun.com/2026-election/morris-katz-graham-platner-genevieve-mcdonald Alex Roarty Katz “needs to take some time for reflection and consider if he is serving the Democratic Party well,” Genevieve McDonald said. Mon, 27 Jul 2026 19:58:56 GMT https://www.washingtonsun.com/2026-election/morris-katz-graham-platner-genevieve-mcdonald Democratic strategist Morris Katz’s public mea culpa last week for his role in promoting and protecting Graham Platner didn’t sit well with at least one person familiar with the inner workings of the former candidate’s political operation.

“I don't believe him,” Genevieve McDonald, who served as the Platner campaign’s political director until resigning last October, said of Katz. “I mean, consultants shouldn't have main character energy. We have lost the plot when consultants are doing PR tours for themselves, for their own redemption, and that is what this felt like.”

Katz — one of the people most responsible for helping elevate Platner to national stardom — appeared on “The Ezra Klein Show” last week, saying he now believes some of the initial revelations about Platner, including his online history, should have been enough to end his Senate candidacy last year. Platner would go on to win the Democratic Senate primary in June, only to be forced out of the race weeks later after he was accused of sexual assault.

It was a notable admission from Katz, a rising star in his own right after helping mastermind New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s winning race in 2025.

But it rang hollow to McDonald, who said Democratic voters were robbed of a real primary because top members of Platner’s campaign dismissed the seriousness of the candidate’s actions and failed to properly vet rumors of other potential misdeeds.

“I appreciate the recognition that those things should have been enough,” McDonald told NOTUS in an interview on Monday. “However, they weren't enough in the moment, and so it doesn't repair the damage.”

Katz’s admission that he misjudged the situation is an effort to protect his career rather than a genuine admission of wrongdoing, she said, and another chance for him to build out a political status that she thinks has a tendency to overshadow his actual political clients.

“We've gotten to a point where it seems as though I've read as much about Morris Katz as I have about the candidates that he works for,” she said.

Katz and McDonald have publicly tussled before over the former political director’s decision to talk to The Wall Street Journal about allegations that Platner had sexted multiple women while he was married. During last week’s interview, Klein asked Katz whether he owed McDonald an apology, which he declined to give.

Katz’s response angered McDonald, who says he and his company, the Fight Agency, have tried to disparage her and her professional reputation since she resigned last year.

“I don’t need an apology from Morris Katz,” McDonald said. “I think Morris Katz needs to take some time for reflection and consider if he is serving the Democratic Party well.”

McDonald’s remarks mark a continuation of one of the most damaging controversies in recent party history, one that forced Democrats to pick a new nominee only this past weekend against Republican Sen. Susan Collins. Platner’s eventual decision to leave the race also led to a round of finger-pointing at some of the officials who worked for him and for months defended him vigorously from criticism.

“I do think the process was irresponsible,” McDonald said. “You know, it appears Fight Agency and Daniel Moraff were so eager to launch him and push out any potential competitors in the primary that they did not do their due diligence.”

Katz declined to comment for this story. Katz said in the interview with Klein that Fight Agency “is not a vetting agency,” but that it’d be “fair” to critique him and the firm for “putting more pressure on people to ensure that the vetting process taking place is responsible and robust.”

McDonald said she just hopes that everyone can move on.

“The past several months have been deeply challenging to me, both, you know, personally and professionally,” she said. “I'm very much ready for the nation to move on from the Platner campaign.”]]> https://www.washingtonsun.com/trump-white-house/trump-ice-agents-vetting-maine-shooting Jenna Monnin The ICE agent who allegedly shot and killed a man in Maine should have had “an almost impossible time” passing vetting, Tom Homan said. Sun, 26 Jul 2026 17:54:28 GMT https://www.washingtonsun.com/trump-white-house/trump-ice-agents-vetting-maine-shooting White House border czar Tom Homan said the vetting and training processes for Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agents are “under review” after revelations that the agent who allegedly shot and killed an immigrant in Maine had been accused of domestic violence.

Homan said law enforcement agencies routinely review their training operations and ICE would evaluate “some additional training” as well as find out what may have gone wrong in vetting the ICE agent in Maine.

“Did we have that information? Did we not have that information?” Homan said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union. “If that was factual, he would have an almost impossible time to pass vetting.”

ICE has not officially identified the agent who shot and killed Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero, a 25-year-old Colombian man, in Biddeford, Maine, on July 13 — though The Associated Press and Boston Globe have reported that he is 37-year-old David Brouillette, who had previously served in the Army.

Brouillette’s family members and ex-wives have accused him of violent behavior and said he has a long history of psychiatric issues, several news outlets reported. If the accusations against Brouillette are true, Homan told CNN, he never should have cleared the vetting process.

“If this person had that type of history, it would have been a vetting issue, and it should have been brought to the attention of those who make those decisions,” Homan said.

The shooting in Maine happened less than a week after another fatal shooting in Houston where an ICE agent killed Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a 52-year-old Mexican national.

Homan told CNN he did not “know specifically” the status of the officers involved in the shootings in Maine and Texas, but per ICE policy “they're usually put on administrative leave pending the investigation.”

Durán Guerrero and Salgado Araujo were both shot during vehicle stops. After the shootings, ICE temporarily paused most vehicle stops to review the enforcement tactic, but within a day, President Donald Trump directed the agency to resume traffic enforcement actions.

Homan said “changes have been made” to vehicle-stop procedures after acting ICE Director David Venturella gave officers new guidance on body-worn cameras. The Department of Homeland Security recently signed contracts for over $30 million to purchase the cameras. Venturella has also added training for officers, according to Homan.

“David Venturella sent an instruction out that he wants at least one body camera on those vehicle stops, so we have everything on video,” Homan told CNN.]]>