Platner's voters are reeling as Maine Democratic Party races to choose his replacement
Source: NPR Topics: News · Bias: Center
Summary
Graham Platner generated enthusiasm in Maine with his progressive policies. Now he's out of the race, and his supporters have to decide what's next, as Maine Democrats prepare to choose a nominee.
Platner's voters are reeling as Maine Democratic Party races to choose his replacement
Center
Graham Platner generated enthusiasm in Maine with his progressive policies. Now he's out of the race, and his supporters have to decide what's next, as Maine Democrats prepare to choose a nominee.
The media keeps insisting the Democrat Party is locked in a civil war.
The post The Democrats are NOT in a Civil War… (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
President Donald Trump is traveling to Michigan on Monday to promote his economic agenda ahead of the state's Aug. 4 primary, as Republican strategists privately worry that rising prices could weigh heavily on this fall's elections.The trip lands in one of the toughest possible settings for that message, reported the Washington Post. Michigan's economy is deeply tied to the automotive industry, which has been rattled by the administration's tariffs, including a newly announced 50 percent tariff on Canadian goods — a major blow given the tens of billions of dollars in trade between the state and Canada.“We are going to have to navigate a difficult time in terms of oil prices and the impact on the economy,” said Michigan-based GOP strategist Jason Cabel Roe. “But removing one of the most hostile actors towards the United States of the last 50 years from the board is a pretty significant accomplishment.”Roe, who is working on a competitive House race, said he expects cost-of-living concerns to weigh heavily on voters, even as he argues Republicans can frame short-term price pain as the cost of confronting a hostile foreign adversary. Still, he admitted feeling uneasy about the political terrain with the election roughly 100 days away.“I’m a little nervous right now,” Roe said.That unease is shared elsewhere in the party. Longtime GOP operative Doug Heye warned that any policy fueling inflation is a liability for Republican candidates broadly, even as other Michigan strategists argue the tariffs can be sold as protecting American workers and supply chains from exploitation.Compounding the challenge, Trump himself has periodically undercut his party's economic message, dismissing affordability concerns as a "hoax" and saying he likes inflation — comments strategists worry blunt the GOP's own talking points on tax cuts and manufacturing investment.Some Republican strategists see the party's best path forward not in defending the economy directly, but in pivoting to a contrast with Democrats, particularly by highlighting a contentious Michigan Senate primary featuring a further-left candidate. But even that approach carries risk, Heye said, cautioning that leaning too hard into attacking Democrats could look like changing the subject from voters' financial pain.Meanwhile, Democrats are moving to capitalize, with the state party chair framing Republicans as having enabled Trump's cost-raising agenda heading into November.“The economy? I got two words: It sucks,” said Armetris Hare, a caterer set up outside a Detroit courthouse. “The war made everything higher. Why are we even in this war?”“I want Trump to make America great again — but not the way he did it,” she added.
Thomas Massie accused President Trump and Secretary Hegseth of violating the War Powers Resolution, joining Democrats in a resolution to sue over the Iran war.
Why is the senator floating the idea of leaving the Democratic Party? Well, Israel, of course. Though he sure loves the media coverage.
The post Fetterman Might Leave Democratic Party Because the Only Thing He Loves More Than Israel Is Attention appeared first on The Intercept.
With gas prices back above $4 a gallon and the midterms approaching, Republicans are choosing to defend President Donald Trump's Iran policy rather than distance themselves from it — a bet that could backfire as voters feel the pinch at the pump.Some GOP lawmakers acknowledge the political risk, but few are willing to blame the 80-year-old president for the higher prices or criticize his decision to launch a war against Iran as they make their case to voters heading into the midterm elections, reported MS NOW.“It’s certainly something we’re concerned about,” said Rep. Richard Hudson (R-NC), chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee. “President Trump did the right thing ... We need to support what he’s doing. If that means we have to go to the voters and explain it, so be it.”Hudson insisted the issue had not yet shown up in NRCC polling, but Republicans seem aware that voters are skeptical of the war and its impact on fuel costs.“We’ve got to explain to people that, you know, unfortunately until we get some new leadership in Iran, we’re going to continue to see conflict, which is going to see higher gas prices,” said Sen. Rick Scott, who previously chaired the Senate GOP’s campaign arm.That message may not hold. Some Republicans not seeking reelection were more candid about the risk. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) suggested voters would eventually stop trusting favorable media coverage and start reacting to what they're paying at the pump.“Eventually, I think people’s pocketbooks are going to impose reality on them, and they’re going to quit watching Fox and pay more attention to the gas prices,” Massie said. Rep. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), who like Massie was ousted by a Trump-endorsed primary challenger, was more measured, arguing that solving the affordability problem is good politics.Many rank-and-file Republicans dismissed the price increases as temporary, deflecting blame toward local regulations, alleged corporate price gouging, or the previous administration. Rep. Ted Budd (R-NC) invoked Biden-era gas prices while defending the Iran strikes as necessary. Reps. Tim Moore (R-NC) and Tim Burchett (R-TN) both pointed fingers at oil companies rather than the war.Rep. Troy Nehls (R-TX) dismissed the entire issue as election-season noise. “The only reason you’re talking about gas prices is because we’re a few months away from a general election, and you’re just trying to get people irritated,” he told MS NOW. “That’s what you do.”“We knew it was going to go up," Nehls added, "but it is really temporary.”Vulnerable incumbents took a different tack. Reps. David Valadao (R-CA), Mike Lawler (R-NY) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) each tried to shift blame toward Democratic energy policy rather than directly defend the war's economic fallout.The polling suggests the political ground is shifting under them. Oil prices jumped roughly 10 percent last week as hostilities continued, and gains Trump had made in approval ratings after an earlier ceasefire have largely disappeared. A Gallup poll found two-thirds of Americans reporting financial hardship from rising gas prices, with majorities saying they're driving less or altering summer travel plans. A Politico poll found most Americans, including a majority of MAGA voters, blame the war for the price spike — and nearly half of those MAGA respondents said it could push them to vote outside their party.Democrats are moving quickly to capitalize. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) has directly tied the price surge to the war, while Rep. Pat Ryan (D-NY) argued the administration has failed on both of its major promises — lowering costs and avoiding new wars.
Maine Republicans are hitting newly anointed Democratic Senate candidate Troy Jackson as Graham Platner’s “biggest supporter” in their latest strategy to hold the Pine Tree State’s contested upper chamber seat. Maine Democrats nominated Jackson on Saturday as the party’s pick to take on incumbent Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) in the state’s 2026 Senate election, attempting […]
