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<\/figure>\n\nGraham Platner<\/b> is no longer running for the U.S. Senate in Maine. But that doesn\u2019t mean he won\u2019t be a major figure in the campaign to defeat Sen. Susan Collins <\/b>(R).<\/p>\n
After Democrats officially nominated<\/a> former state Senate president Troy Jackson <\/b>over the weekend, Republicans unveiled their strategy to take him down: Tie him, in any way possible, to Platner, who won the Democratic nomination earlier this year, but ended his campaign after a woman he once dated accused him of sexual assault<\/a>.<\/p>\n The first salvo came from the Senate Leadership Fund, a super PAC closely tied to Senate Majority Leader John Thune <\/b>(R). They announced a six-figure ad campaign in the minutes after Jackson was nominated, with an ad showing <\/b>images of Jackson campaigning alongside Platner<\/a> and leaning <\/b>on Washington Post reporting about the former Senate president\u2019s confrontational style that some said bordered on bullying<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cJackson is like Graham Platner, but worse,\u201d the narrator of the ad says.<\/p>\n Then Pine Tree Results PAC, the super PAC supporting Collins\u2019s reelection bid, released an ad<\/a> noting Jackson \u201cbragged about being one of Graham Platner\u2019s earliest supporters\u201d and stood by the controversial candidate through his numerous scandals.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen the news of Platner\u2019s Nazi tattoo came out, Jackson stood with Platner. When Platner blamed women for getting raped because they get drunk, Jackson stood by Platner, and when the media reported Platner was violent toward women, Jackson stood again with Platner,\u201d says the narrator in the ad before showing <\/b>Platner at a rally thanking Jackson for his support.<\/p>\n The two <\/b>ads make the Republican strategy clear: Turn Jackson into a Platner double.<\/p>\n It has long been the obvious strategy against whomever Maine Democrats nominated to replace Platner, but it\u2019s particularly potent against Jackson, who was once one of Platner\u2019s most fervent supporters. Collins has been notably mum when it comes to Platner and Jackson, a strategy that has allowed her to largely focus on her own record, at least for now.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen chaos threatens to drown out competence, experience matters,\u201d says the narrator in an ad<\/a> from Collins campaign that was released Tuesday. A Collins aide said their strategy has not changed \u2014 they plan to continue running on Collins\u2019s record.<\/p>\n The outside Republican strategy, though, will also force Jackson to tread carefully when tying himself to the movement that Platner built (which also helped get Jackson the nomination) without linking himself to Platner the man.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s no doubt Graham did a great job as far as getting people going,\u201d Jackson said on MS NOW on Tuesday morning, before arguing that the campaign against Collins is \u201cway bigger than any one person, bigger than Graham, certainly bigger than me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s about continuing to make sure that the movement goes forward, that I make sure and let people know that, look, all these things that you wanted when you were talking to Graham, we can still get them, we can still do that,\u201d Jackson said.<\/p>\n Democrats in Maine are skeptical that tying Jackson to Platner will work.<\/p>\n \u201cMainers are well aware that Graham Platner isn\u2019t the Democratic candidate anymore, so these backward-looking guilt-by-association attacks won\u2019t resonate,\u201d said Ian Russell<\/b>, a Democratic operative who works in Maine politics. \u201cBut it\u2019s imperative that Troy Jackson introduce himself to blunt these attacks \u2014 and judging by the fact that he\u2019s the top fundraiser on ActBlue right now, he\u2019ll have the resources to do just that.\u201d<\/p>\n The reason all this matters is because Collins is particularly vulnerable this year. This election is almost certain to be difficult for Republicans, and Maine has moved away from even Collins\u2019s centrism in recent years.<\/p>\n Additionally, a decade of Collins having to strike a balance between her natural centrism and staying in line with Trump\u2019s MAGA base has taken a toll on how voters in Maine view her. A University of New Hampshire Survey Center poll released earlier this month<\/a> found the race between Jackson and Collins is statistically tied, but also revealed that the Republican senator has a net approval rating of -18 percentage points, with 35 percent of voters holding a favorable view of her, compared with 53 percent who have an unfavorable view.<\/p>\n \u201cSusan Collins has never been more vulnerable after she voted with Donald Trump 96 percent of the time, confirmed the justices who overturned Roe v. Wade<\/i>, and enriched herself and her special interest backers at the expense of Mainers,\u201d said Maddy McDaniel<\/b>, a spokesperson for the Democratic Senate\u2019s campaign arm. \u201cCome November, Mainers will vote her out.\u201d<\/p>\n This Republican strategy doesn\u2019t mean this race is any less competitive \u2014 something that even the National Republican Senatorial Committee acknowledged. In a memo to donors, the committee acknowledges the public polling showing Jackson with a narrow edge and that Jackson \u201cis fully capable of winning this seat if we become complacent.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMillions were spent defining Graham Platner, but his exit resets the race,\u201d reads the memo that ratchets up the pressure. \u201cWe must act immediately to define [Jackson] before national Democrats frame him as a populist outsider.\u201d<\/p>\n A lot is happening on immigration this week.<\/p>\n Our colleague Maria Sacchetti <\/b>wrote Tuesday that the Trump administration launched a plan to \u201cchannel hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers directly into deportation proceedings,<\/a>\u201d arguing the rule is needed because the asylum system is facing a \u201ccrisis.\u201d<\/p> Read more Fauci set to face Rand Paul, Senate GOP after release of his covid \u2018diary\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n Some immigration attorneys argue, however, that the change could lead to people being removed from the United States without a hearing. Officials said as many as 444,724 immigration cases could be impacted.<\/p>\n This comes as President Donald Trump<\/b> and the Republican Party have looked to curb both legal and illegal immigration into the U.S. The issue has been central to Trump\u2019s political career.<\/p>\n The ramifications of the Supreme Court\u2019s decision allowing Trump to cancel temporary humanitarian protections<\/a> for Haitian and Syrian immigrants living legally in the U.S. have begun to be felt, too. The Trump administration earlier this month extended work permissions<\/a> for immigrants from Haiti and six other countries. But those work permits ended as late as last week<\/a>, making advocates worry that deportations could begin soon.<\/p>\n Some Republicans have vented about the impact the end to these work permits could have on local economies.<\/p>\n \u201cThey won\u2019t have any way to make a living. It will be illegal for companies to employ them,\u201d Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine<\/b>, a Republican whose state has a large Haitian community, said on CNN<\/a>. \u201cThis will be a big blow to the community. These are people who came here to work and fill jobs.\u201d<\/p>\n Minnesota Reformer<\/b>: Peggy Flanagan<\/b>, the progressive candidate in Minnesota\u2019s competitive Senate primary, can\u2019t escape one f-word: fraud<\/a>. The fraud crisis in Minnesota \u201cis feeding Republican dreams of ending their 20-year losing streak in statewide races despite midterm headwinds for the party in the White House.\u201d<\/p>\n Oregon Capital Chronicle:<\/b> A pro-data center group registered by the Data Center Coalition is airing ads in Oregon and other states<\/a> that \u201cattempt to counter common critiques of data centers, including their enormous demand for water, energy, land and relatively low levels of job creation.\u201d<\/p>\n We received scores of emails about our questions around showing identification to vote, spurred by Trump\u2019s push for passage of the Save America Act, a sweeping voting bill that the president has said would guarantee Republicans the midterms.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s be clear: The law is not just about requiring identification to vote<\/a>. Per Theodoric Meyer<\/b>, it \u201cwould require Americans to prove their citizenship when registering to vote and to show photo identification to vote. It would also require states to share their voter rolls with the Department of Homeland Security.\u201d<\/p>\n Many of you were okay with some forms of voter ID.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t find it a problem to show my ID when voting, as long as it is the ID that I currently have in my wallet,\u201d said Gregory Smyth<\/b>. \u201cI can use this ID in any circumstance where an ID is required. Why not for voting? Why should I need anything else?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMy state, Oregon, has enjoyed voting by mail since 1998. Proof of citizenship is required to register. In my opinion, that\u2019s enough,\u201d added William Coyne<\/b>.<\/p>\n \u201cThere should be no problem with showing ID to vote. We are required to have an ID to drive; purchase certain items, and last week I was required to present my photo ID to enter a gated community to visit a relative,\u201d wrote Dean Myers<\/b>. \u201cVoting is a great privilege and it comes with some responsibilities. Proving we are eligible citizens is not too high a bar in my opinion.\u201d<\/p>\n But the issue that many have with this recent push by Republicans is the possible requirement of showing a passport or birth certificate to be eligible to vote.<\/p>\n \u201cI have always had to show my driver\u2019s license to vote. In fact, my voter registration card was not even requested or even accepted when presented. It\u2019s not a big deal,\u201d wrote Toni Carpenter<\/b>. \u201cHowever, I have never needed to show my passport, which required time, money, a birth certificate and marriage license to reconcile my name change. I happened to have those documents. Many women would have to start from square one, engaging in a bureaucratic nightmare.\u201d<\/p>\n John Bowen <\/b>recalled having to show a Marine Corps-issued identification card while he was growing up with a Marine Corps officer father.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t object to requiring a voter showing an I.D. card to register to vote or to cast his ballot. … But I object to the notion that a potential voter must go through the rigmarole of showing his birth certificate to exercise his right to vote. A state issued driver\u2019s license or I.D. should satisfy even the most paranoid citizen concerned about voter fraud,\u201d Bowen added.<\/p>\n And Pamela Plant <\/b>added, \u201cIt irks me when people talk about showing an ID to vote. Showing an ID is not the issue. I think people should have to show an ID to vote. But my driver\u2019s license isn\u2019t good enough. A student ID isn\u2019t good enough.\u201d<\/p>\n I absolutely loved this piece from Kyle Melnick <\/b>on the grandma who fought for a bill to allow happy hour at retirement homes<\/a> in Minnesota. The piece really drove home how happy hours can bring people together \u2014 and how laws can sometimes get in the way. So we wanted to get your views: Should states make it easier for community groups to bring people together over alcohol? Or are there good reasons for these state laws? Let us and your fellow Early Brief readers know at earlytips@washpost.com<\/a>.<\/p> Read more Nationals hang on to beat Blue Jays, stay in wild-card hunt<\/a><\/p>\n