Republicans happily celebrate midterm election chaos in Maine

All eyes In Maine this week. Trump world political operatives say Inner ring They hope they are trapped Senate candidate Graham Blatner They will stay in the race as long as possible, as the electoral chaos in the state can only help Republicans, they claim.

Blatner, a US Marine Corps veteran, overcame a series of controversies to easily win the Democratic primary last month. Blatner is supposed to face Republican incumbent Susan Collins in the general election in one of the country’s most closely watched races in November, but a series of Democratic officials are now calling on him to withdraw.

On Monday, a Maine woman accused Platner of sexual assault and Politico said He once forced her to have sex despite her objections. (Blatner’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment, though it previously denied the allegation in a statement to Politico.)

Plattner had previously been accused of Abuse of womenhas covered a Nazi tattoosIt has been linked to multiple attacks Online comments. In the last 24 hours, Democrats from Senator Bernie Sanders to Senator Chuck Schumer They asked him to leave the race.

Trump World activists say their hope — unsurprisingly — is that Blattner will stay in the race, given his increasingly toxic political brand, his growing legion of political enemies in his own party, and the knock-on effects on his fundraising.

Basically, it’s a dumpster fire, and Republicans are barely making s’mores.

“Platner should stay and fight the liberal lobbying establishment!” one strategist joked Inner ring. Like others interviewed for this story, they spoke frankly on condition of anonymity.

Funding will also be an issue, activists happily noted. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, or DSCC, did just that Announce It will not fund Blatner’s campaign if he remains in the race.

Customers are thrilled by this: As a result, Platner will have to rely on small-money donors. Despite his passionate fan base, those donations almost certainly won’t cover the tens of millions of dollars the two sides expect to pump into closer-to-the-world TV ads. Mid-term. (The Boston area’s media market is among the 10 most expensive in the country, and Maine people watch TV.)

But Trump operatives also believe that even if Blattner steps aside, the Senate race in Maine is tilted strongly in Collins’ favor.

Democrats have until July 13 for Blatner to withdraw, and a deadline of July 27 to hold a special election to replace Blatner’s name on the ballot. Democratic activists in the state say Inner ring This could happen on the weekend of July 25, but Trumpworld doesn’t think the alternative candidates will pose much of a challenge.

Janet Mills, the Maine governor who dropped out of the Democratic Senate primary, is seen as one option. But Mills has a similar profile to Collins, who agents still believe will pull off victory, especially given her performance that bucked Joe Biden in 2020.

The other option is Troy Jackson, a former senator from Maine. But another GOP strategist was skeptical whether voters would look beyond the baggage that comes with any Democratic nominee in the wake of the Blatner saga.

“At the end of the day, Democrats have to run a perfect race to beat Collins, which they haven’t,” says one GOP strategist. “She’s still the least offensive candidate in the Senate Republican caucus, so she’s the strongest candidate we can have in the race.”

However, Trump World and the Senate Republican campaign arm are predicting a tough battle in the Maine Senate race that could cost them hundreds of millions of dollars. While they believe Collins can win, it could be a close call. Get graham crackers.

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