What Janet Mills’ fall signals for the Democratic Party’s future: From the Politics Desk

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In today’s edition, Jonathan Allen looks at Democratic Gov. Janet Mills’ abrupt exit from Maine’s Senate primary. Additionally, we examine the ripple effects of yesterday’s major Supreme Court ruling on redistricting.

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—Adam Wollner

What the fall of Janet Mills signals for the future of the Democratic Party

Analysis by Jonathan Allen

Janet Mills was the kind of candidate it was easy for Senate Minority Leader Chuck SchumerDN.Y. and the rest of the DC establishment to fall behind.

As Maine’s second-term governor, she recently demonstrated her statewide electability. She had an established fundraising base, which meant the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and its national donors wouldn’t have to drag her campaign bus. And Mills had been approved by voters and could present a center-left, but not extremist, challenge to the moderate Republican senator. Susan Collins in a condition that would otherwise have a bluish tint.

But as is often the case, the right candidate on paper turned out to be a paper tiger.

Mills withdrew from the Senate race today, realizing she was on her way to a resounding defeat — not to Collins, but to her Democratic primary opponent. Graham Platner.

Platner, a 41-year-old newcomer, an instant darling of the political left, presents a split screen for Democrats: Some see the populist, veteran oyster farmer as a fantastic choice; others see a walking nightmare.

These contrasting views of Platner have sparked fierce debate within the Democratic Party. On one hand, establishment centrists struggle to see beyond the Nazi-like tattoo he covered up or previous controversial Reddit posts and fear his progressive policies could give Collins a sixth term. On the other, a mixed coalition of Democrats – populists, young voters and party regulars unhappy with the establishment’s failures to win and retain power – are hoping they can defeat Collins and thus expand the party’s tent.

Mills, 78, dropped out of college, she said, because she couldn’t raise money against Platner. By the end of March, Platner had raised $12 million during his campaign. Mills – again, the state’s sitting governor – raised less than half that amount.

Maine’s November elections, one of the few elections that will determine which party controls the Senate in the next Congress, instantly become a proxy for the national debate over the direction of the Democratic Party — another test of the left and the outsiders against the center and the insiders.

Its outcome will surely help inform how Democrats view their field of candidates for the 2028 presidential nomination. But Mills’ departure is already a victory for the Bernie Sanders wing of the Democratic Party, a rejection of Schumer-style candidates and a problem for the GOP. Had Mills not been able to beat Platner, there is little reason to think she would have placed well against Collins. And now, in addition to running as a young outsider facing a 73-year-old incumbent president, Platner is an outsider who has killed a political Goliath.

Can he bring down a governor and a senator in one cycle? If he can, Platner will become a celebrity on the left and A-proof in case Democrats are expected to shift to the left in 2028. If he can’t, establishment centrists will tout him as a reason to run in the middle — even if Mills was never the answer.

Redistricting decision impacts: Louisiana delays House primary while Senate race moves forward as planned

By Ben Kamisar and Mélanie Zanona

Louisiana is delaying the state’s May 16 primary to give lawmakers time to redraw the congressional map after the Supreme Court struck down current district boundaries. But all other elections, including the hotly contested Senate primary, “will continue as scheduled,” according to Louisiana’s secretary of state. Nancy Landry.

Mail-in voting for the May 16 primary is already underway in Louisiana, and early voting was scheduled to begin for all races this weekend. This last-minute decision means that House elections will still be on voters’ ballots, but votes in those elections will not count.

The decision to stop voting for the House primary could face legal review. But Republicans are confident they will be able to catch a break in the process, as the Supreme Court’s ruling directly labeled Louisiana’s congressional lines as an unconstitutional racial gerrymander.

In response, Republican lawmakers are preparing to draw lines eliminating at least one of the state’s two Democratic-held districts, starting with the one currently held by the Republican representative. Cléo Champswhose district is at the center of the legal challenge. The only other Democrat in the delegation is Rep. Troy Carterwhich represents much of New Orleans and communities to the west.

During the Senate primaries, Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy faces a crowded field that includes Rep. Julia Letlowwhich has the support of Trump. In an article published today by Truth Social, Trump urged “all great Republicans in Louisiana” to vote Cassidy “OUT OF OFFICE.”

Tennessee: Other GOP-led states with majority-minority districts, particularly in the South, continue to wonder whether they will have time to redraw their congressional boundaries before the midterms. In another Truth Social article, Trump said that Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee told him “he would work hard” to implement a new map in his state, which currently has a Democratic district based in Memphis. The Tennessee primary is scheduled for August 6.

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That’s all that’s coming from the politburo for now. Today’s newsletter was written by Adam Wollner.

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