Monday, October 5, 2026

Why Maine’s famous election slogan will be disproven in midterms

The midterm election is less than a month away. And all signs point to a bloodbath for President Donald Trump and the Republican Party. The generic congressional ballot, which measures whether voters will pick a generic Democrat or Republican for Congress, shows Democrats have a nine-point lead.

On an individual level, Democrats have wide leads in swing states like Georgia and North Carolina. And Trump’s gamble to replace the genteel Republican incumbent Sen. John Cornyn with MAGA Attorney General Ken Paxton seems to be blowing up in his face, as Democrat James Talarico leads in polling and fundraising. Vice President JD Vance had to be sent to Alaska Monday, which Trump won by 13 points, to campaign for Dan Sullivan.

Republicans’ resources will now be stretched thin as they have to play defense not only in the traditional swing states, but even in ruby-red states like Kansas, Iowa and Nebraska. But ironically, even if Democrats massacre Republicans at the polls, they might not get their one prized possession: unseating Sen. Susan Collins in Maine.

On Tuesday night, she will square off in a debate against her Democratic opponent, former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson. By all measures, this should be the year that the five-term incumbent Republican goes down. Kamala Harris won Maine by about seven points.

The state has a Democratic governor and legislature. Earlier this year, an Immigration and Customs officer in Biddeford shot and killed Joan Sebastian Guerrero. Democrats like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have tried to pin the death on Collins since she voted for increased funding for ICE earlier this year, though Collins argues she put in place body cameras for ICE.

But polling shows Collins is still in the hunt. A CBS poll showed that she is in a dead heat with Jackson. But other polls show a more difficult race for the challenger. And it might mean that Maine does not live up to its politics motto: “As Maine goes, so goes the nation.”

Read more here. 

By Eric Garcia

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QUOTE OF THE DAY

Once he makes a decision, there’s nothing I can do about it. I don’t have to like it.

Former Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, on his clashes with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. 

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