Platner’s Fall

Today’s notice: The Democratic Senate primary in Maine is back on. Who gets the Kalshi founders’ cash. MAHA’s latest flex at HHS. And: A lot of charts about how America’s top cities have evolved over 250 years.

THE LATEST

Another Maine event. A lot of prominent Democratic political professionals have a lot of explaining to do. Yesterday, an allegation of sexual assault against Graham Platner was quickly deemed credible enough to cause just about all support for the Democratic Senate nominee from elected officials and party arms to dry up and turn into demands he drop out. The lefty political insurgency that fueled his campaign turned on him too — streamer Hasan Piker was among the most vocal calling for Platner to quit.

For the moment, Platner is still in. But not like in-in — “we are taking the time to reflect on the best path forward,” the candidate said in a video statement yesterday. Generally, that kind of reflection ends with dropping out.

And so Democrats are talking about what comes next. Platner would have to drop out by Monday to get off the ballot, and the state party would have until July 27 to pick a replacement.

A seasoned Democratic strategist in Maine not working on the Senate race told NOTUS’ Christa Dutton that state party committee members are “seriously looking at alternatives” already. Of course, the internet is also doing that, as well as Washington’s text chains and Signal chats. Christa’s operative had some takes on the early names rising to the top of a replacement list:

• Gov. Janet Mills, who was forced from the Senate primary by Platner-mentum? “I don’t think anyone challenges her, assuming she wants it.”
• Retiring Rep. Jared Golden, the candidate establishment dreams are made of? “His desire to be done with politics seems sincere.”
• Former state legislator Troy Jackson, whom the online left has all but crowned the next nominee already? “Thus far I haven’t heard anyone in Dem political circles calling for him to run.”

It will be hard to move forward because this is a bad moment for Democrats, full stop. The party establishment backed Mills, a candidate so old she had to promise to seek only one term, and her campaign never caught fire. Now they have to explain why anyone should trust them to pick the next nominee. The left stayed firmly in formation around Platner through it all — and it really has been a lot — insisting that anyone with concerns about their candidate was an idiot who didn’t understand what real people are actually like. Now they, too, have to make the case that they should be trusted to pick the next candidate.

This remains one of the marquee races, if not the marquee race, of the cycle. And Sen. Susan Collins, the Republican incumbent who was always going to be tough to beat, has been able to sit back through months of Democratic infighting — which now continues.

Open tabs: Charlie Kirk’s family leaves courtroom before testimony about shooting video and the sound of the fatal shot (Salt Lake Tribune); Total power grid failure leaves Cuba in darkness amid growing crisis and protests (Miami Herald); Trump says Walmart cut prices at his request, but Walmart statement omits administration’s role (AP)

From the campaign trail

House Democrats’ money squeeze. It has been a chaotic year on the campaign trail for the DCCC: District lines have been redrawn in real time and primary challengers have upset the best-laid plans for some safe-seat incumbents. NOTUS’ Oriana González and Kadia Goba report there’s also been an impact on the dues the committee collects from Democratic House members — as well as concerns among members in battleground districts about dwindling resources.

“We’re working everyday to continue to make sure we have the necessary resources to take back the majority — and member dues are a huge part of that equation,” a DCCC spokesperson said, noting the committee is “on track to surpass what was raised in dues this cycle when compared to 2024 or 2022.”

Everyone’s getting Kalshi cash. The gambling platform’s cofounders, Tarek Mansour and Luana Lopes Lara, have donated about $1 million to federal political campaigns and political action committees this election cycle, NOTUS’ Samuel Larreal reports. In total, the pair have contributed around $615,000 to the Republican side and $377,000 to Democrats. A larger number of Democratic candidates have received Kalshi cofounder cash, however: 62 of them, versus 34 Republican campaigns.

From HHS

RFK Jr.’s next move. The Department of Health and Human Services is preparing to announce eight new members of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force ahead of an August meeting for the panel, NOTUS’ Paige Winfield Cunningham reports. It will be the first meeting of the group in 17 months, after Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. canceled the previous four. The task force plays a major role in determining how easily Americans can access screenings for cancer and other illnesses by issuing recommendations and giving them grades based on the level of confidence in the screenings’ net health benefit. Insurers are generally required to provide free coverage for whichever screenings the group gives an “A” or “B.”

NOTUS METRO

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Local news: Money Problems and Clashes With Staff: Inside Arena Stage Director’s Exit, by Rebecca Ritzel

Sports desk: Alex Ovechkin’s Return Puts an Exclamation Point on the Caps’ Big Offseason, by Dave Sheinin

NOTUS PERSPECTIVES

With democratic socialists winning primaries across the country, Republicans are warning about the specter of communism. Today at NOTUS Perspectives, Matt K. Lewis implores his fellow conservatives to stop. Conflating socialism with communism isn’t just incorrect, he says. It’s distracting conservatives from the real problem.

NEW ON NOTUS

America’s first top cities: Where are they now? Our data guru Andrew Van Dam has a fun one for you: tracking the 10 largest American cities at the earliest days of the republic and comparing them to the list of the biggest U.S. cities today. New York was No. 1 in the 1790 census, and remains No. 1 now. But the rest of the list is completely different.

More: White House Accuses Smithsonian of Anti-White Bias and ‘Extreme’ Activism, by Jenna Monnin

U.S. to Resume Troop Deployment to Poland, Polish Defense Minister Says, by Joe Gould

NOT US

• Woman who dated Graham Platner says he sexually assaulted her, by Jessica Piper and Adam Wren for Politico
• Measurement tweaks will make inflation data look better, by Neil Irwin for Axios
• The Paradox of Gavin Newsom, by David M. Drucker for The Dispatch

BE SOCIAL

So 2024.

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The newsletter was produced by Thomas Burr, Brett Bachman and Nikie Johnson. Photo by Robert F. Bukaty/AP.