Even so, Janet Mills was still 77 years old before last week. You don't recruit someone that old if you give two shits about building a bench for any kind of future.
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No, but a sitting incumbent who set records in terms of total votes received is someone who could either defeat or convince Collins to retire. She could then retire after a single term.
aug 29, 2025, 3:05 pm • 12 1 • view
Well let’s just hope Senator Mills does that (I do also think rage at the gerontocracy among the general electorate is salient enough that it could be a liability by the time people actually vote)
aug 29, 2025, 3:07 pm • 5 0 • view
Well, yes. I also think it’s reasonably obvious that any party organization anywhere on the planet would be more interested in an incumbent than someone who is popular on social media, but has never run for anything
aug 29, 2025, 3:09 pm • 7 2 • view
And I’m saying that reflexively doing that with near-octogenarian governors is putting a bandaid on a much deeper rot in the party and in the caucus. (This is not a knock on Janet Mills specifically)
aug 29, 2025, 3:14 pm • 2 0 • view
The issue with choosing older incumbents all the time is you end up eating your seed corn.
aug 29, 2025, 5:12 pm • 5 0 • view
Exactly. Even if Chuck was recruiting her months ago it’s still an awful strategy
aug 29, 2025, 3:05 pm • 1 0 • view
Winning this senate seat is much more important than any of that. And 2020 proved that running nobody against Collins is a bad move. Mills can literally step down second after she's sworn in for all I care.
aug 29, 2025, 3:05 pm • 2 0 • view
Susan Collins was challenged in 2020 by the state house speaker, who was funded very generously by the DSCC, what are you talking about?
aug 29, 2025, 3:11 pm • 1 0 • view
Compared to two term governor that's nobody. Both parties pretty much always try to run governors for competitive senate races , they proved themselves they can win statewide, there's no conspiracy here.
aug 29, 2025, 3:18 pm • 1 0 • view
And the Rs have younger governors. I never said there was a conspiracy, I just think it’s poor strategy. Chuck Schumer’s not smart enough to do a real conspiracy.
aug 29, 2025, 3:19 pm • 0 0 • view
(Former) Governors have proven track record of winning/overperforming so it's an obvious choice to try to recruit no matter the age. And Collins is only few years younger than Mills and Maine is the oldest state.
aug 29, 2025, 3:26 pm • 0 0 • view
"Susan Collins is also old" isn't a defense here
aug 29, 2025, 4:05 pm • 0 0 • view