Current Affairs Of Pakistan & World: Inside the battle for Maine

Inside the battle for Maine

Jul 08, 2026

Presented by

With help from Eli Okun, Ali Bianco and Irie Sentner

Good Wednesday morning. This is Jack Blanchard, fresh off a watch of the latest episode of “On the Road with Jonathan Martin” featuring a trio of guests: Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, North Dakota Gov. Kelly Armstrong and Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), all of whom sat down together over bison burgers in the Badlands near the recently dedicated Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library to discuss what JMart calls “the Great American Hustle.”

“I mean venture, that is Teddy’s Library,” JMart writes in. “How it can be traced to North Dakota’s insecurity as the so-called 50th state, how Burgum tried to use TR’s history with JP Morgan to leverage a contribution from the bank, and how much time he spends on the president’s own passion project — Washington, D.C., beautification. Stick around to hear Cramer spill the tea on his efforts to smooth relations between the Donald Trump and John Thune oil-and-water combo, while calling out GOP colleagues on the filibuster.” Watch on YouTube, listen and subscribe on Apple or Spotify and get in touch.

In today’s Playbook …

— Where the Graham Platner succession battle goes next.

— Donald Trump thinks the Iran ceasefire may be over — and faces the media at NATO.

— The Boldfaces: Mark Rutte, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ahmed al-Sharaa, JD Vance, Cait Conley, Mike Lawler, Abdul El-Sayed, Haley Stevens, Mitch McConnell, Ken Paxton and more.

DRIVING THE DAY

WHERE WE’RE AT: It’s more than 36 hours since POLITICO broke the story revealing serious allegations of sexual assault against Graham Platner. Despite those allegations, he appears determined to ensure the progressive flame lives on in Maine.

Since then, Platner has cancelled fundraisers and at least a half dozen public appearances. He’s pulled online ads. He’s lost nearly every backer in Congress and Democratic influencer on his side. He’s lost the local party in Maine. He’s lost his network of progressive support groups. He’s lost all funding from the national party apparatus. And more than three-quarters of all Senate Democrats have urged him to stand down.

Yet Platner remains, as of this moment, the Democratic Party’s Senate candidate for Maine. It’s an extraordinary situation. He has until 5 p.m. Monday to drop out.

Most of D.C. spent last night refreshing its social media feeds in expectation of a major update from Platner. Instead we got a different kind of bombshell video, courtesy of Devon Murphy-Anderson, executive director of the Maine Democratic Party. She said local party officials are working “around the clock” to draw up a new selection process — but that Platner’s team is trying “to put their thumb on the scale of what this process looks like.”

This is getting ugly: What we’re watching now is the messy endgame, a high-octane version of the same power struggle that has dominated Democratic primaries through this cycle and long before. The disparate wings of the party each hope to secure what looks like a soon-to-be-vacant Senate candidacy. And Platner isn’t giving up his influence.

The first battle (as always) is over the process — how to select a new candidate ahead of a deadline now less than three weeks away. Discussions behind the scenes have clearly been heated, and Murphy-Anderson’s decision to go public last night was the nuclear option. She said Maine party chiefs “repeatedly” told Platner’s team “they have no role in determining our next Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate, nor in determining what this process looks like,” and urged him to quit the race immediately.

Nope: A spokesperson for the Platner campaign confirmed to POLITICO’s Andrew Howard that they “reached out to the party to try and understand what this process would look like,” but denied any attempt to “put its finger on the scale.” The spokesperson added: “While Graham wouldn’t want to be a part of the process, he would want to make sure the voters and volunteers make this decision — not the political establishment.”

The brinksmanship will continue today, with each side claiming the other wants a coronation — while activists dream of “blitz primaries” like it’s 2024. One person familiar with the discussions between Platner’s campaign and its progressive allies told Andrew that Platner would stay in the race unless his replacement came from his own progressive wing of the party. Whether he would seriously carry through with that threat is an open question.

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Daily reminder: This all matters far beyond the horse-race politics we’re watching play out. Maine is one of a handful of possible pickups that could deliver the Senate to Democrats this fall. Party strategists from across the spectrum believe GOP Sen. Susan Collins is beatable in the current climate — if they pick the right candidate. But views on who that should be differ.

Runners and riders: Unsurprisingly given the tight timeline, attention has largely focused on politicians already on a campaign footing. Troy Jackson, 58 — a veteran state politician and Bernie Sanders supporter who introduced the Vermont senator on stage during his 2016 campaign — appears the favored choice of Platner’s progressive supporters. Sanders rallied with Jackson during his run for Maine governor, which ended in a primary defeat last month.

Jackson has strong Maine credentials — a locally born logger who climbed the ranks of the local Democratic Party and was president of the state Senate from 2018-2024. But he finished a distant third in last month’s gubernatorial primary behind public health official Nirav Shah and the eventual winner, Hannah Pingree. He also campaigned closely with Platner through much of this year, which may prove a poisoned chalice come election time.

Meet the Covid guy: Shah, 49, received more votes than any other candidate in that same gubernatorial primary, and was only beaten in the final round of ranked-choice voting. He’s originally from Wisconsin, with a career as a public health official that has taken him all over the U.S. — but is known universally in Maine for his four-year stint as director of the state’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention between 2019 and 2023.

Shah became a cult figure during the Covid-19 pandemic for what was characterized by local media as a compassionate and relatable handling of the crisis. His public updates included empathetic references to those who died — but also featured Coldplay lyrics, Rick Astley jokes and folksy descriptions of how to stay safe. He amassed a large online fanbase, and his face appeared on T-shirts, mugs and candy bars. He also drew hostile opposition from a vocal minority of Covid-skeptics, who berate his advice to this day.

Shah has been making progressive noises this week, but is seemingly still too moderate for Team Platner. They indicated their favored alternative to Jackson would be state Rep. Valli Geiger — a trained nurse who’s been one of Platner’s chief defenders on the campaign trail.

The other name floated widely is 51-year-old Shenna Bellows. She finished fourth in the gubernatorial primary, but only 1,200 votes behind Jackson. Maine’s current secretary of state, Bellows spent years working as a civil rights activist. And her backstory is compelling: She grew up, she says, in a Maine log cabin, without electricity or running water until she was in fifth grade — though her parents “never let their family feel poor.” Some reports suggest Team Platner also view her as a viable option.

But she’s done this before, and it didn't go well. Bellows ran against Collins for the Senate seat in 2014, and got thrashed by a 2-1 margin. Those midterms were another age, of course — the pre-Trump era, with Republicans in the ascendancy, and when Bellows was a political novice with zero cash. But losing is never a great look.

Longer shot potential candidates include David Costello, who finished a distant third in Platner’s Senate primary, and Jordan Wood and Paige Loud, who both ran failed bids in last month’s congressional primary. Maine Beer Co. co-founder Dan Kleban may wish to resume his failed Senate campaign. In the “no” column, Rep. Jared Golden — who’s quitting Congress in November — already ruled himself out. And literally nobody thinks Gov. Janet Mills — originally Sen. Chuck Schumer’s handpicked choice — is even a remote possibility. For the people of Maine, an epic few days and weeks lie ahead.

On today’s Playbook Podcast, Jack and POLITICO’s Myah Ward consider where the Platner scandal goes next.

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THE DOWNLOAD

ONCE MORE UNTO THE BREACH: Trump told POLITICO’s Megan Messerly and other reporters on the ground at the NATO leaders’ summit in Turkey today that the U.S. ceasefire and peace process with Iran is likely dead after the two countries traded strikes overnight — and once again slammed Spain over its NATO commitments. The comments came during a bilateral meeting with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte.

Asked if the ceasefire with Iran was “done” and the MOU “dead,” the president said: “To me, I think it’s over.” Megan asked the president whether talks would resume after this week’s funeral proceedings for Iran’s late supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. “Frankly, I don't want to waste my time with them,” he said. “Now, I'll let our wonderful negotiators keep talking if they want, but I don't see it.”

On Spain — the only NATO country not committed to boosting defense spending by 2035 — Trump seemed to tell Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to “cut off all trade with Spain, please, including visits. OK, we don’t want anything to do — watch them come running back.”

Rutte tried to smooth things over with Trump after yesterday’s rocky start to the summit. He lauded the 5 percent GDP commitments as “a huge win” and minimized European resistance to the war, describing Italy and Spain’s refusal to let the U.S. use their bases as “isolated cases.” On Greenland, Rutte emphasized trilateral talks between the Danes, Greenlanders and the U.S. should continue.

Up next: We could see more fireworks at two bilateral meetings with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, which Megan will also attend, slated for 7:30 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. Eastern. The president was optimistic yesterday about a deal to end Russia’s war in Ukraine. With al-Sharaa, watch to see if Trump revives his suggestion to have Syria disarm Hezbollah in Lebanon — a move the Syrian president previously ruled out.

Other attendees hope the president’s mood brightens, having encountered Trump the aggressor rather than Trump the dealmaker, POLITICO’s Felicia Schwartz and colleagues report from Ankara.

FRAUD FILES: VP JD Vance hits the road again, visiting Milwaukee for a speech about the administration’s anti-fraud efforts. (He’s also due to appear at a pricey RNC fundraiser.)

Watch the Season 2 premiere of On the Road

Season 2 is here. Jonathan Martin kicks things off in North Dakota with Doug Burgum, Kelly Armstrong and Kevin Cramer for a conversation on Trump, Teddy Roosevelt, the future of the GOP and why state leaders are betting big on a new presidential library during America’s 250th anniversary year.

Watch the first episode now.

THE FRONT PAGE

RACE FOR THE HOUSE: Democrat Cait Conley is going hard against Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) over Republicans’ sweeping Medicaid cuts, POLITICO’s Katelyn Cordero and Nick Reisman report. It’s a crucial bellwether for how health care will play in the midterms: Democrats are highlighting people who’ve lost health insurance and health care jobs, while Lawler has defended the cuts as a clampdown on “waste, fraud and abuse.”

First in Playbook: In a new poll for House Majority PAC, Conley is ahead of Lawler 51 percent to 45 percent, Playbook’s Eli Okun scoops. The details

SURVEY SAYS: The first Michigan Senate poll conducted since state Sen. Mallory McMorrow dropped out of the Democratic primary shows a tossup race between Abdul El-Sayed and Rep. Haley Stevens. With McMorrow still listed on the ballot, El-Sayed leads by 3 points; head to head, Stevens is up by 1. Voters see the congresswoman as slightly more electable. The toplines … At their debate last night, Stevens seized on Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s new criticism of her to try to put some distance between her campaign and its unpopular AIPAC support, per POLITICO’s Lisa Kashinsky and Samuel Benson.

GET MITCH QUICK: One group in D.C. is especially eager for Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to return: defense appropriators. His powerful subcommittee post is crucial for military spending, and the Trump administration’s request for a massive funding increase — which McConnell has pooh-poohed doing through reconciliation — could be further complicated by his absence, POLITICO’s Leo Shane III and colleagues report. His office said he’s “working closely with his staff” from the hospital.

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5 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

1. A MOST VIOLENT CEASEFIRE: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is scheduled to travel to Israel today for a meeting with Netanyahu, CNN’s Tal Shalev and colleagues scooped. And in another show of the peace deal’s fragility, Treasury yanked its sanctions waiver for Iran oil sales, per POLITICO’s James Bikales and Michael Stratford.

2. DEMOCRACY WATCH: DOJ’s Harmeet Dhillon threatened election officials in every state with criminal prosecution if non-citizens vote in future elections, NYT’s Nick Corasaniti reports. At the same time, a Trump-appointed federal judge blocked DOJ’s effort to get the names/info of thousands of 2020 election workers in Atlanta. But James Talarico will be talking about this: ProPublica/The Texas Tribune’s Zach Despart scooped that Texas AG Ken Paxton may have broken election laws over the residency he lists for voting. Paxton’s spox called it a “baseless, lie-filled tabloid story.”

3. THE NEXT FRONTIER OF GERRYMANDERING: How do you like Annapolis in August? Maryland legislators will return for a special session to try to take the next step toward snatching away Republicans’ lone congressional seat for future elections. More from The Baltimore Banner

4. SCHOOL DAZE: Yale Law School leaders have tried to stop a potential settlement the school could strike with the Trump administration, NYT’s Alan Blinder and Michael Schmidt report. A deal with DOJ, which is investigating Yale’s admissions practices, could save the school’s federal funding. But some at the law school think it would tarnish the institution and the rule of law.

5. WHERE’S THE BEEF? Ahead of July Fourth, USDA officials put the squeeze on Walmart and other leading grocers to lower beef prices, WSJ’s Patrick Thomas and Sarah Nassauer scooped. Walmart quickly announced price cuts, and Trump happily touted the victory. But Americans continue to struggle with high costs in a number of other arenas. Clean-energy groups say Trump’s attacks on wind and solar will push electric rates higher, per CNN. Republican SNAP cuts have pushed hundreds of thousands of Arizonans off food stamps, per WaPo. And Medicaid cuts are surging as a political issue in Iowa, per Reuters.

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TALK OF THE TOWN

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — The Irish Embassy yesterday abruptly postponed an event to honor journalist Mark Halperin, who in 2017 faced multiple accusations of sexual harassment dating back to his time at ABC News, POLITICO’s Daniel Lippman reports. The embassy rescinded invitations to “celebrate the naming of the permanent co-hosts” of 2Way’s “The Morning Meeting” podcast — Halperin, Larry O’Connor and Kevin Walling — emailing attendees: “Regrettably due to unforeseen circumstances, this event is postponed and will not take place on 15 July as previously advised.”

Two people with direct knowledge of the event told Playbook that multiple invitees urged Irish Ambassador Geraldine Byrne Nason and embassy staff to cancel, given Halperin’s history. O’Connor and a spokesperson for the Irish Embassy declined to comment. Halperin and Walling didn’t respond to requests for comment.

SPORTS BLINK — Contrary to plenty of Democrats’ pre-tournament warnings, ICE’s involvement with the World Cup hasn’t sparked clashes or controversial moments, POLITICO’s Eric Bazail-Eimil reports. Instead, the agency has mostly worked behind the scenes with law enforcement on anti-human trafficking and counterfeiting work.

THE BOYS ARE FIGHTING — Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman had a dispute over whether the latter could fly his personal fighter jet over D.C. during the July Fourth celebrations, WaPo’s Isaac Arnsdorf reports. After the White House got involved, NASA figured out a work-around — and acting AG Todd Blanche got to fly on Isaacman’s jet.

TRANSITIONS — Erica Mason McQuade has joined the Senate Banking GOP staff, handling insurance issues. She most recently worked for Northwestern Mutual and is an Insured Retirement Institute alum. … Human Rights Campaign is adding Kate Childs Graham as chief strategy officer, Sharon McGowan as SVP of policy and litigation, Laura MacCleery as VP of policy and law, Densil Porteous as VP of volunteer leadership, Ramiro Sarmiento as national press secretary and Mo Jenkins as Texas state director. …

… Jeff Le will be director of state government affairs at Microsoft. He most recently worked at 100 Mile Strategies. … Jackie Murphy is joining Hitachi Energy as director of multi-state government affairs. She most recently worked for Volkswagen Group of America. … David Nickelson is now a director in BRG’s AI and decision intelligence practice. He most recently worked at Clarity Performance Solutions.

WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Melissa Sowerwine, senior manager for strategic partnerships at Amivero, and Alex Massara, a senior economist at the International Monetary Fund, on June 23 welcomed Yasmine Lena Massara, who came in at 7 lbs, 8 oz and 21 ¾ inches.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Rep. John Mannion (D-N.Y.) … Marianne Williamson … Andrew Kauders of Cogent Strategies … Stef Feldman … Andy Flick of Cornerstone Government Affairs … Arlie Ziskend … Amanda Coyne of Sen. Dan Sullivan’s (R-Alaska) office … Erik Huey … Neil Newhouse of Public Opinion Strategies … Nick Simpson … Eve Samborn McCool of Assemble … Dan Rosenthal of Albright Stonebridge Group … POLITICO’s Sean McMinn and Michael Hunley … Reuters’ Steve Holland … Howard Gutman of the Gutman Group … Kelley Hudak … Geoff Garin of Hart Research … Kirk McPike … NYT’s Lara Jakes … Noah Yantis … former Sen. Phil Gramm (R-Texas) … Bill Hinkle … David Greengrass of House Judiciary … Ron Kampeas … Mill’s Molly Spaeth … Jim Miklaszewski … Anna Quindlen … Continental Strategy’s Caroline Farr

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