It's the Governor vs. the Oysterman, and Democrats' Pick Will Tell Us a Lot About the Party's Future

"Party leaders recruit the best option, in their eyes, and Democratic primary voters-innately terrified of risk and trusting of their leaders' judgment-fall in line. It doesn't always work out. Sometimes, like North Carolina's Cal Cunningham in 2020, the chosen ones have zipper issues. But Democrats' establishment-driven approach, contrasted with Republicans' less top-driven (and more mistake-prone) strategy for candidate selection, did give Democrats four years in the Senate majority from 2021 to 2025,"

"After the great Democratic calamity of 2024, the party's leaders are getting less leeway. Support among Democrats for their leaders is in free fall. Aging incumbents are being shown the door. Democratic voters are more willing to accept risk, and to push their leaders to take risks, which is why the government has been shut down for a couple of weeks."

"Maine Gov. Janet Mills announced on Tuesday that she will run for Senate, seeking to unseat Republican Susan Collins. Mills, 77 years old and in her second term as governor, was heavily recruited by Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. The DSCC doesn't seem concerned about hiding its preference for Mills either: On Tuesday, it formed a joint fundraising committee with her campaign."

Democratic nominee selection has traditionally been led by party leaders recruiting preferred candidates and primary voters deferring to that guidance. That establishment-driven method delivered a Senate majority from 2021 to 2025 despite structural disadvantages. After the 2024 losses, party leaders face declining support, aging incumbents losing seats, and voters more willing to accept risk, contributing to recent legislative stalemates. A high-profile Maine Senate primary will reveal how much control leadership retains. Governor Janet Mills, 77 and a two-term statewide winner, announced a DSCC-backed bid to unseat Republican Susan Collins, and the DSCC formed a joint fundraising committee with her campaign.

Read at Slate Magazine