AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTYou have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load.Guest EssayJune 12, 2026Credit...Jamie Lee Taete for The New York TimesListen · 13:13 min By Benjamin Domenech and John GuidaMr.
Domenech is opinion editor for The Daily Wire and writes the newsletter The Transom. Mr. Guida is an editor for Times Opinion.Democrats are arguing and criticizing and buzzing about candidates like Jon Ossoff, James Talarico and Graham Platner.What about Republicans?
The Texas Senate primary drew some attention, and angst. Anyone else? Anywhere in the country?Benjamin Domenech, opinion editor of The Daily Wire and the writer of the newsletter The Transom, assessed some of the G.O.P. candidates in a written conversation with John Guida, an editor in Times Opinion.
It has been edited for length and clarity.John Guida: Politico reports that Republicans see Maine as “the linchpin” to holding their Senate majority. So, no pressure on Susan Collins! She will face Graham Platner. She’s a rarity these days, a senator representing a state that elected a president of the opposite party the last time she ran.
What’s the secret to her survival in Maine?Benjamin Domenech: The interesting thing about this whole focus on Maine is that if you talk to Senate Republican staff and consultants, they’re actually less worried about it than other states. This is partially because of Platner’s shall we say unique collection of scandals and challenges, but it’s also because of enormous faith in Collins as a survivor.Guida: To that point, the Politico report also quotes the memo as saying that “the political fundamentals in Maine remain challenging, and it is a fatal mistake to assume Platner is too damaged to win.”Thank you for your patience while we verify access.
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