Democrats appear poised to win Senate seats in a number of states Donald Trump won in 2024 — according to Real Clear Polling, they’re leading by 2 points or more in Texas, Ohio, Michigan, Alaska, Georgia, and North Carolina. Trump won some of these states by double digits — but in Maine, a state he lost, Susan Collins in trailing by less than a point. She might win. She might survive a blue wave.
By some measures, Collins is the most moderate Republican in the Senate. She’s certainly moderate-coded — being something other than a right-wing ideologue is her brand, even though her votes against the party line rarely have much impact.
When Democrats have a bad election cycle — whatever the actual reason — pundits and Democratic consultants rush to inform us that Democrats fell short because voters perceive them as out-of-touch ideological extremists. Centrists said this repeatedly after Kamala Harris lost the 2024 presidential election, in a year when inflation dragged down not only the Democrats but parties in power worldwide.
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