Welcome to From the Politics Desk, a daily newsletter that brings you the NBC News Politics team’s latest reporting and analysis from the White House, Capitol Hill and the campaign trail.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.It’s yet another primary day, with voters in four states heading to the polls.Steve Kornacki zeroes in on Maine, where Graham Platner has faced a series of controversies heading into the Democratic Senate primary.
Plus, Jane C.Timm digs into the unfounded election fraud claims that are flooding California.
Sign up to receive this newsletter in your inbox every weekday here.— Adam WollnerWhy Graham Platner’s margin matters in the Maine Senate primaryAnalysis by Steve KornackiGraham Platner will almost certainly win the Democratic nomination for Senate in Maine today.But will he do so convincingly?A resounding margin would allow Platner to argue that rank-and-file Democrats are squarely behind him even in the face of scandal, complicating any potential effort to replace him with a different general election nominee.
A weak showing, however, would only intensify concerns that some party leaders have been raising about Platner’s viability against Republican Sen.Susan Collins.There are three names on the Democratic primary ballot: Platner, Gov.
Janet Mills and David Costello, who ran as the party’s nominee against independent Sen.Angus King in 2024.
Andrea LaFlamme, a left-wing activist, is running as a write-in candidate.Presumably, the lion’s share of the non-Platner vote will go to Mills, who suspended her campaign this spring when Platner pulled far ahead of her in polling.
But as controversy rocked Platner campaign in the last week, Mills has pointedly reminded voters that her name is still on the ballot and that they are free to vote for her.Working in Platner’s favor is that early voting began on May 11, more than two weeks before The Wall Street Journal re...