From TPM Reader JO …
There are a few local data points your Platner piece doesn’t mention that may become important.
1. Mills is still on the ballot, and she’s been making a point of saying so since the first article about the sexts came out. Her lawn signs, which had largely disappeared, are springing back up all over town with reminders about that. She sees an opening, she’s trying to exploit it, and she has a receptive audience.
2. This is just the view from one local Dem club, but it’s no more obvious now that Platner is the candidate than it was that Biden was the candidate in ’24 — and Biden’s name is coming up a lot. People know that if Platner ultimately can’t weather the latest news (or if more is coming), we can’t afford to wait to coalesce behind Mills. (I’d prefer Costello, but know he’d lose to Collins).
3. Ranked choice is a wild card. There are a lot of ways to strategize about ranking Mills #1 or #2, but a lot of people who a couple of weeks ago had no reason to think about it are now trying to suss out what ranking on Tuesday will give us the best shot in November.
4. At least in my local Dem club, the latest news is landing much differently than the sexting stuff, the tattoo, the social media posts, etc. A couple of months ago, we were really split between the two candidates, but everyone agreed we’d work hard for whoever won the primary. When Mills suspended campaigning, we were all on board for Platner. Not so now. No one is voting for Collins, but some are saying they just can’t vote for Platner anymore. I think that’s going to cost Platner some critical votes (and volunteers) in a very close race in November.
5. Property taxes have surged in Maine since the last time Collins ran (partly a function of lots of people moving to Maine and property values rising). A lot of Dems are finding themselves trapped in homes they can’t afford. That’s creating a lot of energy on the right and having a big effect in local races across the state. As much as progressives like Platner and dislike Mills, the calculus of where to find the votes to beat Collins seems to be shifting.
A lot of people (including me) agree with you that the first and only priority is to beat Collins. But for a lot of us, how to do that has become a much tougher call.
