The Maine Vacancy

Today’s notice: Platner exits with harsh words for the establishment. Progressives wrestle with vetting. An exclusive poll from Pennsylvania. USCIS’ new focus on Afrikaner refugees. Bare-knuckle politics in Illinois. And: Is everything about to change in Data Center Alley?

THE LATEST

Graham Platner again denied the allegations, blamed the corporate media, entrenched forces and a rigged political system but ultimately said he would suspend his campaign in a late-evening video. It was not the “false allegations,” he said, but the system to blame, NOTUS’ Igor Bobic reports.

“It’s the fact that [the allegations] are being used by the political establishment to put structural pressure on us,” Platner said, running emotional at times. “We live in a political system that is not built for normal people. It is a system that is built structurally to make sure that movements like ours cannot flourish, that if they begin to succeed, they can be crushed.”

In a call with campaign staff earlier, Platner said the 154,058 Maine voters who supported him “didn’t just reject this kind of politics, they voted for something,” and that the sole goal all along was to defeat incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins. And now the race for the Democrat to take her on continues.

Several Mainers are already lining up, NOTUS’ Torrie Herrington writes, and the gates are wide open for more. The Maine Democratic Party says it will hold a convention to pick its new nominee, with a name due by July 27.

Whomever the Dems choose will likely require some vetting. NOTUS’ Emily Kennard reports on the fallout from the Platnerpocalypse inside Democratic politics. Has the progressive, populist push for more “outsider” candidates come at the expense of rigorous candidate vetting? A lot of people point at Maine and say obviously, yes. But progressives insist the party cannot turn away from outside-the-box candidates, even as they struggle with the aftermath of their strong support for Platner as red flag after red flag was waved.

Open tabs: DOJ Issues Nationwide Threat to Prosecute Local Election Officials (NOTUS); Judge orders E. Jean Carroll be paid $5.8M (AP); Republicans juice spending to protect Senate “red wall” (Axios); Former judge fined $5K, spared prison for helping immigrant avoid arrest (WaPo)

From Air Force One

Back to the war that had not really ended. Donald Trump told reporters aboard the new Air Force One en route from Great Britain to Washington that Iran called and wanted to make a deal — but he just doesn’t trust them. Earlier in the day, the president declared the nascent ceasefire “over” as he called the Iranian leaders “sick people and they’re vicious, violent people.”

From the campaign trail

First on NOTUS: Democrats’ favorite firefighter leads in PA-07. Retired firefighter Bob Brooks, a populist who has united many of the party’s factions behind him, is leading incumbent Republican Rep. Ryan Mackenzie 47%-43%, per a new poll from House Majority PAC, the Democratic spending group. The closely-watched race takes place in a district Trump won by a single percentage point in 2024. The PAC’s polling now shows Trump’s popularity waning there, with a 44% favorable rating and a 51% unfavorable.

From DHS

Inside the focus on Afrikaner refugees. As of June, all but three of the 7,730 refugees admitted into the U.S. in fiscal 2026 were from South Africa. The Trump administration has reshaped the entire refugee system run by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to focus on White South Africans who say they are facing racial discrimination, NOTUS’ Eric Katz and Natalie Alms report.

Dozens of USCIS staffers who used to work in countries around the world on refugee issues have been recalled. Only South Africa is staffed now.

“You started to hear, ‘So-and-so’s going to South Africa,’” said agency veteran Jason Marks, who took a deferred resignation offer last year. “It was almost like, are we being trolled here? Is this like a trolling exercise?”

From the Hill

Rep. Chuy García’s heavy electoral hand. The retiring House Democrat from Illinois already became a Main Character when he timed his retirement perfectly to allow his chosen successor, his chief of staff, Patty Garcia (no relation), the nomination. Now, Mayra Macías, one of the Democrats who got into the race as an independent, says Chuy García’s staff is actively trying to get her kicked off the ballot by challenging signatures with the state Board of Elections, NOTUS’ Oriana González reports. Macías is urging the House Ethics Committee and the Office of Congressional Conduct to investigate Chuy García and his office for allegedly using official House time for political activity.

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Sports desk: The Nats’ Trade Deadline Matters. But The Draft Matters More. By Jesse Dougherty

NOTUS PERSPECTIVES

The lesson of Platner’s exit, Matt K. Lewis argues at NOTUS Perspectives, is that Trump didn’t change the rules of political scandal for everyone. He just changed them for Trump.

NEW ON NOTUS

Location, location, location. Why does Northern Virginia get so many data centers? NOTUS’ Zara Norman, Taylor Giorno and Samuel Larreal explain the phenomenon. The region was home to its own tech boom for years, based in part on its proximity to big tech buyers at the Pentagon and CIA. Then Virginia lawmakers approved a tax break for data center operators in 2008. The AI boom arrived, and with it, the desire for ever more data center capacity.

Is it all about to change? Major data center projects in the region have been canceled recently due to public pressure. An increasing number of politicians are running for office on slowing or halting data center development altogether. The tax break for data center operators is still there, but Virginia recently passed a first-of-its-kind tax on data center energy consumption.

More: Rahm Emanuel Changes His Tune on Israel in Fiery Speech From Tel Aviv, by Jenna Monnin

Judge Dismisses Trump Media’s $3.8 Billion Suit Against The Washington Post, by Angie Orellana Hernandez

Kentucky Governor Demands McConnell Give an Update on His Condition, by Angie Orellana Hernandez

NOT US

The Low-Key Lawyer at the Center of the Search for a Platner Replacement, by Tim Balk for The New York Times

The Death of Renee Good Has Yet to Be Properly Investigated, by Quinta Jurecic for The Atlantic

To justify his arch, Trump cites a 1925 plan. That vision was very different. By Julia Ledur and Dan Diamond for The Washington Post

The Art of the Candidate Swap, by Gabe Fleisher for Wake Up To Politics

BE SOCIAL

A new-ish idea?

Corrections: Yesterday’s newsletter misstated the status of Troy Jackson’s potential candidacy in Maine. He filed to form an exploratory committee. The newsletter also misstated the origin of Project 2029, which is being drafted by a group of Democrats.

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