{"id":2626388,"date":"2026-07-08T05:14:02","date_gmt":"2026-07-08T09:14:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/republicans-plan-to-spend-big-in-maine-despite-platners-downfall\/"},"modified":"2026-07-08T05:16:19","modified_gmt":"2026-07-08T09:16:19","slug":"republicans-plan-to-spend-big-in-maine-despite-platners-downfall","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/republicans-plan-to-spend-big-in-maine-despite-platners-downfall\/","title":{"rendered":"Republicans plan to spend big in Maine despite Platner&#8217;s downfall"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Frepublicans-plan-to-spend-big-in-maine-despite-platners-downfall%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2626388&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Republicans are maintaining their spending strategies in Maine&#8217;s competitive Senate race despite recent allegations against Democrat Graham Platner, who faces calls to drop out following accusations of drunkenly sexually assaulting a former partner five years ago. Platner&#8217;s campaign has been marred by previous scandals, yet he remains a contender, with potential replacements like progressive Troy Jackson, who has notable endorsements but lacks political experience. The Maine race is extremely costly, with both parties and outside groups investing heavily-over $100 million from Republicans and more than $50 million from Democrats, approaching nearly $500 million in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/maryland-primary-alsobrooks-defeats-trone-in-senate-democratic-race\/\" title=\"Alsobrooks wins ... Democratic race in Maryland primary\">total ad spending<\/a> for 2026. <\/p>\n<p>Despite the turmoil, Republicans are confident in their advantage due to their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/how-flipping-colorado-blue-has-become-democrats-blueprint-for-the-rest-of-america\/\" title=\"Colorado&#039;s blue flip is now the ...&#039; national blueprint.\">significant war chest<\/a>, including over $125 million on hand by the RNC and nearly $350 million from Trump. The recent Supreme Court decision eliminating limits on party spending in coordination with candidates favors Republican spending plans. The Democratic party has raised over $178 million but faces debt issues from previous campaigns. Republicans are poised to outspend Democrats substantially in the upcoming midterms, leveraging their financial advantages to bolster their chances of gaining control of the Senate.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Republicans aren\u2019t yet changing their spending strategy for Maine\u2019s hotly contested Senate race despite the latest allegations against Democrat <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4639117\/progressives-graham-platner-aide-alternative-new-dust-up-schumer-troy-jackson\/\">Graham Platner<\/a> that seem likely to end his campaign.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Platner is facing calls to <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4632641\/sanders-breaks-silence-calls-on-graham-platner-quit-senate-race\/\">drop out<\/a> from members of his own party after he was accused on Monday of drunkenly sexually assaulting a former partner five years prior. The bombshell allegation came to light after a series of other scandals, including a Nazi tattoo and other allegations of improper romantic behavior, failed to drive him from the race earlier this year.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/4638925\/marjorie-taylor-greene-backs-thomas-massie-mitch-mcconnell-senate-seat\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>MTG backs Thomas Massie for Mitch McConnell\u2019s seat<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/4638028\/mitch-mcconnell-health-status-hospital\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>What is Mitch McConnell\u2019s status weeks after emergency hospitalization?<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/4636900\/trump-senators-ted-cruz-100-votes-high-court-justice-get-him-the-hell-out\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Trump says senators would approve Cruz as Supreme Court justice to \u2018get him the hell out\u2019<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Maine race had been shaping up to be one of the most expensive in recent history. Republicans had committed north of $100 million, with Democrats earmarking more than $50 million themselves. Spending from outside interest groups saw total ad buys in Maine encroaching on $500 million for the 2026 cycle.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Democrats need to win four Senate races this cycle to take over majority control of the upper chamber, with experts eyeing Maine, North Carolina, Texas, Iowa, Alaska, and Ohio as the top pick-up opportunities. Republicans, who are sitting on a mountain of campaign cash, had planned to spend heavily on defense in those races, and sources familiar with the GOP\u2019s 2026 midterm strategies say the party isn\u2019t rewriting the ledger just yet.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI\u2019m still hearing different things on if he\u2019ll actually drop, and if he does, [Republicans] will have to spend to define the replacement. Saving money is possible, but that would cut both ways,\u201d one source familiar with Republicans\u2019 campaign spending plan told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. \u201cIf he stays in. I don\u2019t buy that they\u2019ll pull their money. They need Maine if they want to get to four.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A veteran Republican operative working closely with President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4638561\/trump-disappointment-nato-turkey-loyal-recep-erdogan\/\">Donald Trump<\/a>\u2019s political team echoed those claims, noting that former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson appears to be the top contender to replace Platner should he end his candidacy.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jackson, like Platner, comes from the progressive wing of the party and earned endorsements from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Maine\u2019s chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, and even Platner himself during an unsuccessful 2026 bid to be the state\u2019s governor. Jackson filed an exploratory committee with the Federal Election Commission on Tuesday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cHe isn\u2019t a veteran, but I think he presents a lot of the same problems for us that Platner did,\u201d the Trump-linked consultant said Tuesday. \u201cI mean, his family have been loggers since forever, and he\u2019s talked about economic issues in a similar way. But he\u2019s a known quantity in the state who has none of Platner\u2019s baggage. If he ends up filling the ticket, we\u2019re not going to be able to take our foot off the gas.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cBest case scenario, Janet Mills replaces Platner, and we don\u2019t have to spend a dime,\u201d that person joked, noting that Mills, the state\u2019s sitting Democratic governor, fell to Platner in the primary amid plummeting approvals with Maine voters.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Still, one former senior Trump White House official told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> that they expected Platner\u2019s downfall to give Republicans some breathing room, given Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), the longest-serving senator in Maine\u2019s history, has a lengthy track record of holding off Democratic challengers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThere\u2019s a reason that Susan Collins has been in the Senate for 30 years. She knows how to win, even if voters aren\u2019t feeling the Republican in the White House,\u201d the former Trump aide explained. \u201cPlatner, despite all the red flags, had that charisma factor that we were going to have to defend against, but I think it\u2019s impossible for Democrats to put forward a new candidate who has that same \u2018it factor\u2019 this late in the game.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At least one Republican-linked group is pulling some money. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/AdImpact_Pol\/status\/2074519894809329982?s=20\">Pine Tree Results<\/a>, a super PAC backing Collins\u2019 campaign, cancelled $1.5 million worth of broadcast reservations for the week starting Thursday. The group still has $13.3 million worth of reservations on the books.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-25\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-4\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">No matter the nominee, Republicans are likely to continue their gargantuan spending advantage over Democrats this cycle, thanks in no small part to last week\u2019s Supreme Court decision on <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >campaign finance laws<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On June 30, the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 to <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/supreme-court\/4497594\/supreme-court-campaign-spending-limits-nrsc\/\">do away with limits<\/a> on how much political parties can spend in coordination with individual candidates, a significant development for the GOP given the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/liz-cheney-tries-to-extract-campaign-cash-from-j6-witness-subpoenaed-by-her-committee\/\" title=\"Liz Cheney Tries To Extract ... From J6 Witness Subpoenaed By Her Committee\">major cash advantage<\/a> the party holds over national Democrats.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to a top Trump political aide, the Republican National Committee entered the summer with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-secret-sauce-behind-trumps-2026-midterm-strategy\/\" title=\"The &#039;secret sauce&#039; behind ...&#039;s 2026 midterm strategy\">roughly 5 million cash<\/a> on hand, on top of Trump\u2019s own war chest of nearly $350 million. The aide told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> that Republicans are prepared to outspend Democrats in 2026 by perhaps the largest margin in midterm history.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-26\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-5\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4630433\/trump-rnc-prepared-flood-midterms-cash-supreme-court-win\/\"><strong>TRUMP AND RNC PREPARED TO FLOOD MIDTERM ELECTIONS WITH CASH FOLLOWING SUPREME COURT WIN<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Democratic National Committee, despite raising more than $178 million in 2026, is saddled with debts racked up by former President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/joe-biden\/\">Joe Biden<\/a> and former Vice President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/kamala-harris\/\">Kamala Harris<\/a> in 2024.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cOur side has the hard-dollar flexibility because we\u2019ve stockpiled and prepared for coordinated limits to end. Dems didn\u2019t,\u201d a senior Republican campaign official told the <em>Washington Examiner.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>GOP sticks to spending plan despite Maine Senate scandal<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2645,"featured_media":2626389,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AP26161067852261.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[9148,65502,5894,3756,3834],"class_list":["post-2626388","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-maine","tag-platner","tag-politics","tag-republicans","tag-spending"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AP26161067852261.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2626388","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2645"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2626388"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2626388\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2626392,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2626388\/revisions\/2626392"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2626389"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2626388"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2626388"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2626388"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}