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.Limited time: Save 25% on NBC News subscriptionGet exclusive reporting, live Q&As and ad-free reading.In today’s edition, we look at the latest in how the conservative majority at the Supreme Court and the GOP majorities across the street at the Capitol are handling President Donald Trump.Plus, Jonathan Allen digs into some new polling data in Maine’s hotly contested Senate race.
Programming note: The newsletter will be on summer break Friday, July 3, through the end of next week.Our next edition will hit your inbox on Monday, July 13.Sign up to receive this newsletter in your inbox every weekday here.— Scott BlandThe split driving 2026’s most closely watched Senate raceAnalysis by Jonathan AllenDemocrat Graham Platner has branded himself as a working-class champion against Sen.
Susan Collins, R-Maine.But that’s not the set of voters who have put him within striking distance of an upset that could alter the balance of power in Washington.
A late-June New York Times/Portland Press Herald/Siena poll of 608 likely Maine voters found Platner up 49%-47%, which is well within the margin of error.A Fox News survey of registered voters has Collins, who has held the seat for 30 years, up 50%-47%, a spread that is also well within the margin of error.
The crosstabs from both surveys tell an interesting story about how Platner’s narrative is landing with voters.Collins is crushing him with voters who don’t have a college degree, 58%-37%.
That’s very close to how she did in 2020, according to exit polling, when she blew out Democrat Sara Gideon.Back then, Collins won non-college voters 57%-35%, the exit poll showed.
Platner, meanwhile, is cleaning up among folks who have at least a bachelor’s degree, despite or because of his emphasis on that working-class brand.H...