This week, let’s start with a focus on the politics of Maine, a state that is home to one of the most fascinating, and fraught, Senate primary races in the country.
As my colleague Lisa Lerer and I wrote today, the Democratic contest between Gov. Janet Mills, 78, and Graham Platner, 41 — an obscure oysterman turned populist star — is emerging as a test of how liberal voters perceive risk and electability headed into a crucial midterm election.
For any Mainers reading this, I want to know what you think. If you’ll be voting in the Democratic contest, have you picked your candidate? If yes, what drove your decision? If no, how will you decide?
If you’ve been a supporter of Senator Susan Collins, the Republican incumbent, in the past, how do you feel about her these days? What are your thoughts on the Democratic field vying to take her on?
Tell me all about it. I’m at [email protected]. If you’re open to it, we may feature your thoughts in a future newsletter.
I’m obsessed with the Maine primary, but it’s hardly the only popcorn-worthy one coming up. Here’s a crash course on some of the other primaries you should have on your radar this spring:
A few Republican races I’m watching:
May is an important month for Republican primaries that will test President Trump’s power on the right, as his standing among Americans overall remains diminished.
On May 16, Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana faces a tough primary election. Cassidy was one of seven Republican senators who voted to convict Trump in his impeachment trial after the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot. Trump, unsurprisingly, is supporting a primary challenger. Cassidy is well-funded and well-known, but as I reported from Baton Rouge this year, his problems on the ground are palpable.
This list focuses predominantly on Senate races. But one House contest worth nothing is playing out in Kentucky.
Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky, the rare House Republican to openly and repeatedly clash with Trump, is defending his seat on May 19 against a Trump-backed challenger named Ed Gallrein. It’s an expensive, high-stakes election — but according to my colleague Catie Edmondson, the idiosyncratic Massie appears to be enjoying himself. Kentucky will also hold a Republican Senate primary that day for the seat being vacated by Senator Mitch McConnell.
Also that day: primary contests in Georgia, including the Republican Senate race to take on Senator Jon Ossoff. Ossoff, a Democrat, started off this midterm cycle looking notably vulnerable. But he is a formidable fund-raiser and may be tough to beat.
We’ve written a lot about Texas in this newsletter, and we’ll have more to say ahead of the May 26 runoff, as Senator John Cornyn strains to stave off a primary challenge from the state’s hard-right attorney general, Ken Paxton. Could the general election there really become competitive? Hard to say, but if Paxton is the nominee against the Democrat, James Talarico, things could get interesting.
And some Democratic races to keep an eye on:
Democrats are in for a spicy summer.
Gov. Gavin Newsom of California, a Democrat, is term-limited, and the June 2 primary is the first step in the race to succeed him. But because of the way California structures its primary, my colleague Jenny Medina noted recently, there is a chance that no Democrats will advance to the general election despite California’s solidly liberal lean.
Cue the Democratic freakout.
The Iowa Democratic Senate primary is also heating up ahead of the June 2 election. Josh Turek, a state representative and a former Paralympic gold medalist from a right-leaning district, is running against Zach Wahls, a progressive Iowa state senator from a liberal corner of the state.
Iowa has shifted sharply away from Democrats over the last decade, but the party hopes that, in a state that has struggled under some of Trump’s economic policies, this year could be different. (Democrats are also jazzed about their likely nominee for governor, Rob Sand, the Iowa state auditor.)
There are spirited House primaries scheduled in states including Pennsylvania, California, New York and Colorado in coming months. And two of the biggest Senate primaries slated for August — Michigan and Minnesota — are already quite contentious.
Minnesota is in some ways a more traditional ideological matchup between the progressive lieutenant governor, Peggy Flanagan, who won the endorsement of Senator Bernie Sanders, and Representative Angie Craig, who comes from a more politically competitive part of the state, flipping a battleground House seat in 2018.
And Michigan is … messy. The Democratic primary is divided three ways between Representative Haley Stevens, State Senator Mallory McMorrow and Abdul El-Sayed, a progressive former public health official.
And the tensions are already flaring: Over left versus center, over establishment versus outsider — and, as in Maine, over which candidate is best positioned to win a general election.
You can check out our full midterm primary calendar here.
CATCH UP QUICK
Five things to know about the ‘No Kings’ rallies
Thousands of demonstrations were held across the country on Saturday for this year’s first “No Kings” rallies. In case you missed it, my colleague Tim Balk compiled five takeaways:
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The war in Iran seemed to galvanize many protesters, particularly younger ones.
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But Trump’s immigration crackdown also remained a focus.
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Dueling protests unfolded near Mar-a-Lago.
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Midterm candidates came out in force. So did some Democrats seen as potential 2028 presidential contenders.
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Democrats found fresh fuel for their “No Kings” slogan — the Treasury Department’s announcement last Thursday that it would start printing dollars with Trump’s signature on them.
NUMBER OF THE DAY
At least $100 million
That’s how much a new political operation with ties to the Trump administration is planning to spend to promote the president’s record on A.I., my colleague Theodore Schleifer reports.
The group, called Innovation Council Action, was set up as a nonprofit organization, but it’s likely to start a super PAC as part of its push to help backers and attack opponents of Trump’s A.I. agenda.
ONE LAST THING
Inside the youth movement at CPAC
Many young conservatives at last week’s Conservative Political Action Conference seemed disillusioned and eager to start the post-Trump era, my colleague Nathan Taylor Pemberton writes.
“We keep hearing these talking points that we’re all united and in the same movement,” one 19-year-old attendee said. “That couldn’t be further from the truth. I feel like I have closer views with liberals than more conservatives at this point.”
Tim Balk, Taylor Robinson and Ama Sarpomaa contributed reporting.
Katie Glueck is a Times national political reporter.
The post In Maine, Michigan and Beyond, Primary Season Is Getting Punchy appeared first on New York Times.
