Morning Digest: Janet Mills 'delights' Susan Collins with her praise for the senator's work

But the term-limited governor says she's still considering a Senate bid

Maine Gov. Janet Mills (credit: Janet Mills Facebook)

Leading Off

ME-Sen

Maine Gov. Janet Mills, who remains a top target of Democratic recruiters, just earned the gratitude of Republican Sen. Susan Collins for remarks expressing her appreciation for her would-be opponent's work.

After telling reporters that "there are a lot of very disturbing things going on in Washington" at an event on Monday, Mills was asked whether Collins had "done enough to push back against things like tariffs," according to Maine News Center. Mills, seeming to carve out an exception for Collins, had the senator's back.

"She's in a tough position," the term-limited governor said. "I appreciate everything she is doing."

Collins responded by telling Semafor that she was "delighted" to hear Mills' comments.

"The governor and I have always had a good relationship," she added.

In speaking to reporters the following day, Mills offered a lengthy defense of her stance.

"I think I have a pretty good working relationship with all four members of our congressional delegation, and I'm proud of that," she said. "Do I have disagreements with individuals, including Susan Collins? Of course I do. I have many serious disagreements with Sen. Collins, and we'll save that for another day. I'm not going to come out here like some Washington politician and go on the attack."

"Maine people don't want to see us fighting against each other. They want to see solutions. I like to work on problems, fight problems, not fight people," Mills continued. "[O]bviously, I disagree with a number of her votes, a number of her positions. But now is not the time to start talking about those."

At the same Monday gathering where she first praised the incumbent, Mills said she was still "seriously considering" a Senate bid—a possibility she's been flirting with since the spring. According to Semafor, "[S]enior Democrats are still hoping to enlist" the 77-year-old governor, but as she's dithered, the field has grown.

In the month since the Washington Post reported that Mills' hesitancy had "essentially frozen the campaign against Collins," two new Democrats have jumped into the race: oyster farmer Graham Platner and brewery owner Dan Kleban. They joined former congressional aide Jordan Wood, giving primary voters three choices in a contest where, not that long ago, some Democrats were fretting about their lack of options.

All three are considerably younger than Mills, who would be 85 at the end of her first term in the Senate. (Kleban, at 48, is the oldest of the group.) And all have said they plan to keep running regardless of what she does.

Mills recently said she might make a decision by mid-November, but the longer she waits, the more opportunity other Democrats will have to gain traction.

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Three huge retirements

Redistricting Roundup

CA Redistricting

California Democrats hoping to pass a new congressional map at the ballot box in November are aiming their fire at the measure's chief opponent, wealthy conservative activist Charles Munger Jr.

Munger, the son of the late billionaire investor of the same name, has now donated $30 million to the effort to block the map, which will appear on the ballot as Proposition 50. But those hefty contributions, plus his long history of support for Republican causes, have also made Munger the target of a new ad.

"Who's behind the campaign against Prop 50? Mega millionaire Charles Munger Jr.," says the narrator of the spot from Yes on 50, the official campaign vehicle backing the map. "What's Munger's game? Munger gave lavishly to anti-abortion and anti-LGBT extremists. Now he's spending millions to help Trump rig the election."

The ad concludes by arguing that the measure "puts our elections back on a level playing field, protects independent redistricting, and gives the power to the people of California."

MO Redistricting, MO Ballot

Republicans in Missouri's state House passed the GOP's new congressional gerrymander on Tuesday, but they fell far short of the two-thirds supermajority necessary to prevent Democrats from placing a veto referendum on the ballot that could repeal the measure.

In a separate vote, Republicans also greenlit a constitutional amendment that would make it almost impossible for citizens to pass future amendments through the initiative process.

Democrats were unified in opposition while multiple GOP lawmakers defected on both votes, including 13 on the map and six on the amendment. Republican House Speaker Jonathan Patterson voted against both measures.

Those defections were particularly crucial for the redistricting proposal, because Republicans could have immunized it from a veto referendum as "emergency" legislation had it passed with a two-thirds vote. That, however, would have required 109 votes in favor, meaning at least two Democrats would have had to switch sides. The GOP was able to muster only 90.

Consequently, regardless of what happens in the state Senate, Democrats will be able to ask voters to weigh in by gathering around 115,000 signatures across the state in the 90 days following the end of the current special session of the legislature. (They must also hit certain targets in at least six of the state's eight congressional districts.)

If opponents can obtain enough signatures, the new map—which transforms the 5th District from blue to red—would be suspended until a referendum can be held, though it's not clear when such a vote might take place. If the referendum succeeds, the map would be repealed.

The constitutional amendment would also go before voters at some unspecified point. It would all but eviscerate ballot initiatives by requiring them to win a majority of the vote not only statewide but in every congressional district. According to an analysis from the Missouri Independent, that means as little as around 5% of voters could defeat an initiative that earns majority support across the state.

The proposal would also impact only citizen-sponsored initiatives. Amendments referred to the ballot by lawmakers would still require only a simple majority statewide, with no district-level requirements.

Election Recaps

VA-11 & Boston, MA Mayor

Democrats won a special election for a vacant House seat in Northern Virginia in a landslide on Tuesday night, while Boston's mayor turned in a similar dominant showing—though she'll have to face off against the same opponent once again in November.

In Virginia's 11th District in the Washington, D.C., suburbs, Democrat James Walkinshaw crushed Republican Stewart Whitson by a 75-25 margin. His showing amounted to a 16-point overperformance compared to Kamala Harris' win in the district last year.

Walkinshaw will reclaim the seat held by the late Rep. Gerry Connolly—his one-time boss—until his death following a battle with esophageal cancer earlier this year. Once he's sworn in, Democrats will have 213 members seated in the House, versus 219 for the GOP. Three other seats are still vacant, two previously held by Democrats and one by Republicans.

Up in Boston, meanwhile, Mayor Michelle Wu pounded her top rival, former nonprofit head Josh Kraft, in an officially nonpartisan contest known locally as the preliminary election. (Both are Democrats.) With most votes counted, Wu led 72-23—a margin of 49 points.

That result left Kraft, the son of New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, far short of the marker he laid down last month, when he told Bloomberg that finishing with a 15-point deficit could, as the outlet put it, "reshape donor interest and public perception."

Kraft will have another shot at Wu in the general election two months from now, but his prospects don't look promising. Kraft's distant second-place showing came even though, per AdImpact, he outspent Wu $5.2 million to just $356,000 on advertising.

Senate

AL-Sen

Auburn University men's basketball coach Bruce Pearl will decide by the end of September if he'll run for Alabama's open Senate seat, Emily Jacobs reports in Jewish Insider. Two unnamed sources tell Jacobs, however, that Pearl is "unlikely" to run to succeed Sen. Tommy Tuberville, a fellow Republican who is giving up his seat to campaign for governor.

FL-Sen

Former Brevard County school board member Jennifer Jenkins announced Wednesday morning that she would challenge Republican Sen. Ashley Moody in Florida, a former swing state that Democrats hope is not permanently out of reach.

Jenkins, who founded a group that seeks to combat conservative influence over education policy, is currently the only notable Democrat challenging Moody, whom Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed to the Senate in January to replace Marco Rubio. Whoever wins in November of next year will be up for a full six-year term in 2028.

"We’ve let MAGA extremists and out-of-touch billionaires take over our country," Jenkins says in her launch video. "And while we fight for the minimum to get by, our senator, Ashley Moody, got handed a U.S. Senate seat, knowing she’ll do exactly what Trump, DeSantis, and the billionaires tell her to do."

Jenkins was elected in 2020 to the school board for Brevard County, a conservative community based in the region known as the Space Coast, by unseating incumbent Tina Descovich in what Florida Today characterized as a "big upset."

Jenkins, who was the only Democrat on the board, spent her four-year term clashing with far-right groups like Moms for Liberty, which Descovich co-founded following her defeat.

"Protests in front of my home," Jenkins recounted in a 2023 speech at a Democratic gathering. "The vandalism on my property. Three-foot ‘F-U’ letters burned into my lawn."

Jenkins was essentially forced off the board after her colleagues passed a new map that moved her home to a different district. The Democrat, who considered running for Florida's other Senate seat last year, ultimately didn't end up seeking office in 2024, but she wasn't done with politics.

Instead, she formed a national group called "Educated. We Stand" with the goal of electing school board members who would "limit the influence of far-right extremists."

It remains to be seen whether Jenkins will face any serious intra-party opposition in next August's Senate primary. A few other Democrats, however, have expressed interest in running, including Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings, state Rep. Angie Nixon, and former National Security Council advisor Alexander Vindman.

Rep. Jared Moskowitz also said last week that he might oppose Moody if Republican legislators pass a new congressional gerrymander that makes his House seat unwinnable.

KY-Sen

Kentucky Rep. Andy Barr's backers are circulating a new poll arguing he's within striking distance—while acknowledging he's still behind—in next May's Republican primary for Senate. Barr's powerful enemies at the anti-tax Club for Growth, though, are now spending millions on ads to make sure that the congressman never gets the chance to pull ahead.

Public Opinion Strategies' survey for the pro-Barr Keep America Great PAC shows former Attorney General Daniel Cameron outpacing Barr 37-29, with wealthy businessman Nate Morris at just 8%. The memo, which was first shared by Semafor, argues the congressman can take the lead if he gets his name out.

Barr is trying to do just that by launching what Punchbowl News says is a $500,000 opening ad buy touting him as an ardent Donald Trump ally. The spot does not mention either of his two opponents or Sen. Mitch McConnell, the former GOP Senate leader who is not seeking reelection.

The Club, though, prominently showcases McConnell in what the Lexington Herald-Leader reports is a $2 million offensive against Barr. The group's first ad charges that the candidate was "groomed by Mitch McConnell as an intern" and features a clip of the congressman calling McConnell his "mentor."

"And now the student has become the teacher," the narrator declares. The spot shows footage of Barr saying after the Jan. 6 riot, "Some Republicans will be voting for impeachment … and I respect that."

The Club has not made an endorsement in the primary, though it has pledged to "spend whatever it takes" to beat Barr.

The congressman, who was a McConnell ally for much of his career, has spent the last few months distancing himself from the incumbent, whom MAGA may despise more than any other member of the GOP caucus. Cameron, who is the incumbent's former general counsel, has also denounced the man he, too, previously described as "mentor."

Morning Digest: Candidates to replace McConnell fight over who hates him most

Morris, for his part, has campaigned as an ardent McConnell antagonist and labeled Barr and Cameron "Mitch's boys."

Keep America Great PAC, though, has aired ads with footage of Morris saying he "made contributions to Mitch McConnell" to bolster its argument that he's not the committed Trumpist he claims to be.

NH-Sen

A prominent Republican group is out with a poll arguing that former Sen. John Sununu could reclaim his old seat if he runs to succeed retiring Democratic incumbent Jeanne Shaheen.

One Nation, which is allied with Senate GOP leadership, shows Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas with a small 45-43 advantage over Sununu in a hypothetical general election. The memo from 1892 Polling, which was first shared by Punchbowl News, predicts Sununu's entry would "make this a top Republican pick up opportunity in the midterms."

That's anything but a vote of confidence in the two Republicans who are running, former Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown and state Sen. Dan Innis. Both men, though, are already arguing that Republicans don't need to settle for Sununu, who hasn't been on the ballot since he lost to Shaheen in 2008.

"It's been almost 25 years since his last successful campaign," Brown told the New Hampshire Journal last week after Sununu first talked about seeking a comeback. "He wrote an article calling President Trump a 'loser.' He's going to have to explain that." (It's been almost 16 years since Brown's last successful campaign.)

Innis offered a similar take.

"Let’s be honest, there are bad eggs in this race," he said in a statement. "I’m the only pro-Trump conservative in this race, and I’ll never back down."

Sununu has said he'll decide by the end of October if he'll run again. New Hampshire's primary isn't until next September.

TX-Sen, TX-AG

Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett tells the Dallas News she hasn't ruled out seeking statewide office next year, with reporter Gromer Jeffers identifying the races for Senate and state attorney general as potential options.

Crockett, though, acknowledged how difficult winning would be in Texas.

"I definitely don’t feel like a statewide race is anything that I have to jump out and be like, ‘Oh, I’m running,'" she said. "I know that there’s a lot of people that are looking at running statewide, and I want to see what happens, because polls can move and move quickly."

Crockett also reiterated that she was still eyeing a potential campaign for either the redrawn 30th Congressional District, which includes most of her current constituents, or the revamped 33rd, which now includes her home.

Governors

CA-Gov

Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa received an endorsement Tuesday from Karen Bass, who holds his old job as leader of California's largest city, for his bid for governor. The Los Angeles Times notes that the two Democrats are longtime allies, adding that Villaraigosa supported Bass early in her 2022 campaign for mayor.

CO-Gov

State Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer announced Tuesday that she would enter next year's busy Republican primary for governor of Colorado, an office her party last won in 2002.

It wasn't so long ago that Kirkmeyer supported a movement to secede from the state she now wants to lead. Kirkmeyer was a member of the Weld County Commission in 2013 when she ardently backed a plan for 11 counties (including her own) to break away and become the 51st state. Voters in six of those jurisdictions, including Weld, rejected the symbolic measure.

Kirkmeyer was elected in 2020 to the state Senate, but she swiftly sought a promotion just two years later when the state gained a new congressional district following the most recent census.

The Republican, though, ended up losing an expensive general election for the 8th District to Democrat Yadira Caraveo by a slim 48.4 to 47.7 spread. Kirkmeyer considered a second try in 2024 but opted to remain in the legislature, though fellow Republican Gabe Evans ran instead and ultimately unseated Caraveo. (The former congresswoman is one of several Democrats challenging Evans this cycle.)

Kirkmeyer joins four other Republicans in the June 30 GOP primary for governor: state Sen. Mark Baisley, state Rep. Scott Bottoms, Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell, and Greg Lopez, a perennial candidate who spent six months in the U.S. House after winning a June 2024 special election.

The heavyweight Democratic primary between Sen. Michael Bennet and Attorney General Phil Weiser has attracted far more attention than the GOP contest. Colorado's sharp swing to the left over the last decade makes the eventual Democratic nominee the favorite to succeed Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat who cannot seek a third term.

FL-Gov

Miami Mayor Francis Suarez told the Miami Herald he was "[n]ot really" still interested in seeking the Republican nomination for governor of Florida. Suarez, who cannot seek reelection this fall, showed more enthusiasm about taking a job in the Trump administration.

NM-Gov

Former state Supreme Court Justice Judith Nakamura remains interested in seeking the Republican nomination for governor, reports New Mexico political writer Joe Monahan, but an unnamed source who spoke with him expressed pessimism about Nakamura's prospects of securing the GOP nod.

"Judy is not a favorite of MAGA and they are not a favorite of hers. That is her major obstacle in winning the nomination," Monahan's source informed him. "Also, she is pro-choice in a party that is fervently anti-abortion. That presents another major hurdle for her to jump in a GOP primary."

Nakamura, whose 2016 victory made her the last Republican to win statewide in New Mexico, talked about running for governor back in April, but Monahan writes that she's said nothing in the ensuing months. Rio Rancho Mayor Gregg Hull remains the only notable Republican campaigning to succeed Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, who is term-limited.

The Democratic roster features Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman, former U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, and former Las Cruces Mayor Ken Miyagishima.

RI-Gov

Former CVS executive Helena Foulkes announced her long-awaited campaign to deny renomination to Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee, who narrowly defeated her in the 2022 Democratic primary.

But while their second bout is still almost exactly a year away, McKee didn't waste time highlighting what may be his rival's biggest vulnerability from her tenure at the giant Rhode Island-based pharmacy chain.

The governor debuted a digital ad hours before Foulkes' launch that highlighted a Department of Justice lawsuit filed last year alleging CVS exacerbated the opioid epidemic by filling illegitimate prescriptions for excessive quantities and dosages of the addictive painkillers.

"Not all drug deals look alike," McKee's narrator says. "During her tenure as president, the Ocean State reported 1,190 overdose deaths."

Foulkes responded by telling supporters that she had "immediately got to work to deal with the crisis," arguing that opioid sales dropped dramatically while she was in charge. She separately told WPRI that McKee "is either attacking our biggest companies or losing our biggest companies"—the latter a reference to toy giant Hasbro's recent decision to depart for Massachusetts.

The two Democrats first sparred in the last midterms, a year after McKee had been elevated from the lieutenant governor's office because Gov. Gina Raimondo left to join Joe Biden's cabinet. McKee won a tough race by a close 33-30 margin before easily beating Republican Ashley Kalus in the fall. Foulkes, however, soon began eyeing a second bid—even before the governor's approval ratings plunged.

Foulkes finished June with a hefty $2 million in the bank versus less than $900,000 for McKee, who has repeatedly and ardently denied speculation that he might end his reelection campaign. But Foulkes, who is a niece of former Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd, may not be the best-funded Rhode Island Democrat who ends up running.

State House Speaker Joe Shekarchi, who ended the last fundraising quarter with almost $4 million in the bank, expressed interest in running earlier this summer. He responded to Foulkes' launch noncommittally.

"The voters will decide next year which candidate for governor has the strongest record of delivering for working families and the best ideas to lead Rhode Island," Shekarchi said in a statement.

Attorney General Peter Neronha has also talked about campaigning for the state's top job, though he described himself as only "semi-interested" back in May. Neronha reported having stockpiled only around $100,000 at the end of the following month.

Republicans are hoping a nasty Democratic primary will give them an opening in this blue state where they haven't won an election for governor in two decades.

State Senate Minority Leader Jessica de la Cruz didn't rule out running in July, though she doesn't appear to have said anything more recently. Kalus, who lost to McKee 58-39 three years ago, also drew attention Tuesday when the state GOP distributed a statement from her attacking Foulkes. Kalus, however, previously said she'd defer to de la Cruz.

VA-Gov

Virginia Democrats lead in all three of this year's statewide races, a newly released poll from Virginia Commonwealth University finds.

Abigail Spanberger outpaces Winsome Earle-Sears 49-40 in the race for governor, while Ghazala Hashmi holds a 45-41 edge over John Reid for lieutenant governor. Jay Jones, finally, has a 47-41 advantage over Attorney General Jason Miyares, who is the only statewide incumbent seeking reelection.

WI-Gov

Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley announced Tuesday that he was entering the race to succeed Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, a fellow Democrat who is not seeking reelection next year.

Crowley, who would be the state's first Black governor, was first elected to lead Wisconsin's largest county in 2020. He began his new campaign with a video declaring that "Donald Trump's chaos and cruelty means that the Wisconsin that we cherish will perish unless we unite and fight back."

Crowley joins Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez in next August's Democratic primary, a contest that could still attract many other candidates—a list that continues to grow.

Morning Digest: Tony Evers announces he won't run for a third term

The latest addition is Missy Hughes, a member of Evers' cabinet who is considering running, according to WISN. This is the first we've heard about a potential campaign by Hughes, who previously served as CEO of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation.

Republicans have a contested primary between businessman Bill Berrien and Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann, while Rep. Tom Tiffany has said he'll decide by the end of the month if he'll join them.

House

CA-04

Venture capitalist Eric Jones announced Tuesday that he'd oppose longtime Rep. Mike Thompson, a fellow Democrat, in next year's contest for the 4th District in Northern California's Wine Country.

Thompson, who at 74 is four decades older than his 34-year-old challenger, told the Press Democrat the previous day that he'd seek a 15th term. Thompson was first elected in 1998 by easily flipping a GOP-held open seat, and he's had no trouble winning any of his subsequent campaigns.

The incumbent highlighted his seniority in Congress, including his spot on the influential House Ways and Means Committee, to make his case that "I’m the guy who’s pointed out what the Big Ugly Bill’s cuts for health care and renewable energy mean for the people I represent."

Jones, for his part, avoided directly criticizing Thompson in an interview with the Press Democrat or in his opening commercial, which he tells Politico will air on TV. The new candidate, however, positioned himself as an alternative to a failing status quo.

"Trump is cutting Medicaid to give tax cuts to billionaires," Jones tells the audience, "And too many Democrats have been in Washington so long they’re not up to the fight."

The 4th District, which currently includes Napa and Santa Rosa north of San Francisco, would remain safely blue turf whether or not voters approve the new congressional map this November, but that vote could still affect this race.

Democrats slashed Kamala Harris' margin of victory from 64-33 to 56-41 to strengthen candidates in other nearby districts, meaning the revamped 4th District would take in more conservative rural turf. Such a change would make it easier for a Republican to advance out of the June top-two primary, an outcome that would avert a general election between two Democrats.

IL-09

Economist Jeff Cohen, who is a former official at the Department of Justice, just became the 18th Democratic candidate to join the race for Illinois' open and safely blue 9th District.

It's possible, though, that the March 17 primary ballot will feature a smaller roster. Candidates have until Nov. 3 to turn in signatures, and Evanston Now says that local Democratic hopefuls each require at least 1,173 to qualify.

But because it's common for candidates in Illinois to challenge their opponents' petitions to try to get them disqualified, serious contenders will collect far more than that to give themselves a cushion. Many, however, often still find themselves short once their rivals set their attorneys to scrutinizing their signatures.

PA-10

Dauphin County Commissioner Justin Douglas will seek the Democratic nomination to challenge far-right Rep. Scott Perry, he told Pennlive.com on Monday. Douglas will face former TV anchor Janelle Stelson, who is running again after narrowly losing to Perry last year, in the primary for Pennsylvania's 10th District.

Douglas, a former pastor, won his post in a huge upset in 2023 that gave Democrats in the Harrisburg area control of the Board of Commissioners for the first time since at least 1919.

Douglas went on to become chair of the body earlier this year. He also once produced a podcast called "Defund the Church" that described its mission as "help[ing] tear down the walls of racial injustice and division that have been sown for centuries in the church."

The 10th District, which is based around Harrisburg and York in the central part of the state, backed Donald Trump 52-47 last year, according to calculations by The Downballot. Perry, a former leader of the nihilistic House Freedom Caucus, ran behind the top of the ticket and held off Stelson just 51-49.

VA-01

Henrico County Commonwealth's Attorney Shannon Taylor publicized endorsements Monday from former Govs. Terry McAuliffe and Ralph Northam, who are the two most recent Democrats to lead Virginia.

Taylor, who launched her campaign earlier that same day, is the most prominent of the nine Democrats campaigning to unseat Republican Rep. Rob Wittman in the 1st District.

Mayors & County Leaders

New York, NY Mayor

A new poll shows Democrat Zohran Mamdani far ahead in the four-way race for mayor of New York as his rivals still refuse to get out of one another's way.

Siena University's survey for the New York Times finds Mamdani outpacing former Gov. Andrew Cuomo 46-24, with Republican Curtis Sliwa and Mayor Eric Adams taking 15% and 9%, respectively.

The Democrat enjoys a much smaller 48-44 edge in a hypothetical scenario where Cuomo is his only opponent—a finding that prompted yet another round of calls from Mamdani's detractors for Sliwa and Adams to drop out. So far, though, Sliwa remains as stubborn as ever about staying in.

"No, no, no. A thousand times no," he told the Times Tuesday. "I can’t be bought. I can’t be leased. I can’t be rented. I am not corruptible."

But while Adams held a press conference Friday at which he proclaimed, "I'm in this race, and I'm the only one that can beat Mamdani," not everyone is convinced that's the final word on the matter. Politico writes that there's still talk Adams might end his reelection campaign for a job in the Trump administration, an idea the mayor did not directly address on Tuesday.

"​​The job I want is to be the mayor of the city of New York," Adams told reporters. "That’s the job I want."