{"id":3277,"date":"2026-07-27T21:10:03","date_gmt":"2026-07-27T21:10:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/trustedmovinggroups.com\/?p=3277"},"modified":"2026-07-27T21:10:03","modified_gmt":"2026-07-27T21:10:03","slug":"can-susan-collins-defy-political-gravity-again-from-the-politics-desk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/trustedmovinggroups.com\/?p=3277","title":{"rendered":"Can Susan Collins defy political gravity again?: From the Politics Desk"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Welcome to <\/em>From the Politics Desk<\/em>, a daily newsletter that brings you the NBC News Politics team\u2019s latest reporting and analysis from the White House, Capitol Hill and the campaign trail.<\/em><\/p>\n

Read more What the Chadwick Boseman and Malcolm-Jamal Warner estate disputes reveal about planning for death<\/a><\/p>\n

In today\u2019s edition, Sahil Kapur digs into the challenge facing Sen. Susan Collins now that her general election matchup is set. Plus, we have the latest on the on-again, off-again Iran war.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Sign up to receive this newsletter in your inbox every weekday here.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u2014 Adam Wollner<\/em><\/p>\n

Can Susan Collins defy political gravity again, or is she 2026\u2019s Jon Tester?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Analysis by Sahil Kapur<\/h3>\n

The case for Republican Sen. Susan Collins<\/strong> in this year\u2019s pivotal Maine Senate race goes like this: She\u2019s a proven winner with an independent brand that will allow to her rise above her party\u2019s unpopular image.<\/p>\n

If that sounds familiar, it\u2019s because the same case was made for then-Sen. Jon Tester<\/strong>, D-Mont., two years ago.<\/p>\n

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Much like Collins in Maine, Tester repeatedly won in a state that his party consistently loses. But then his luck ran out: In 2024, amid a difficult political climate for his party, he once again overperformed national Democrats, but lost to Republican Tim Sheehy<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

A former Tester campaign operative predicted Collins will be the Tester of the 2026 cycle. The operative, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to a new job that prohibits going on the record, said Sheehy won by tying Tester to the national party and narrowing his runway to win due to a shrinking share of ticket-splitters.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe lesson there is you can\u2019t outrun the national environment, or you can only outrun it so much,\u201d the operative said. \u201cSusan Collins is the same story \u2014 how much can she outrun the ticket?\u201d<\/p>\n

Much like Sheehy did to Tester in 2024, Democrats are promoting the message that Collins frequently votes with her party\u2019s unpopular president.<\/p>\n

The ads tying Tester to then-President Joe Biden<\/strong> were \u201cincredibly potent\u201d in 2024, the former Tester operative said. \u201cBiden was about as popular as Jeffrey Epstein in Montana,\u201d the person added. \u201cAnd [Kamala] Harris<\/strong> wasn\u2019t any better. You get to a certain point where it\u2019s not possible to make up that margin.\u201d<\/p>\n

Newly minted Maine Democratic nominee Troy Jackson<\/strong>\u2019s assignment is to capitalize on an environment that\u2019s shaping up to be friendly to Democrats, given Trump\u2019s declining approval ratings and low marks from voters on his handling of economic issues.<\/p>\n

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Trump lost Maine all three times he was the Republican presidential nominee. And Collins \u2014 like Tester \u2014 is emphasizing areas that highlight her independence from Trump, saying she\u2019s \u201cdisappointed\u201d in his recent round of tariffs.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust recently, President Trump imposed more tariffs on Canadian goods. That is harmful and is something that I\u2019ve opposed from the very start of his doing that,\u201d Collins told NBC News in Maine on Saturday after walking in a parade in Casco. \u201cIt makes no sense from an economic perspective, particularly for a state like Maine, where our economies and Canada\u2019s are so intertwined. So I have opposed the president when I think he\u2019s wrong, and I\u2019ve supported him when I think that he\u2019s right.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jackson, accepting the party\u2019s nomination Saturday in Bangor, highlighted Collins\u2019 votes for Trump\u2019s tax law and his Supreme Court nominee Justice Brett Kavanaugh<\/strong>, who cast a decisive vote to overturn Roe v. Wade.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho has she served? She has served Donald Trump,\u201d Jackson said. \u201cShe voted with him 96% of the time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more UN human rights chief says Israel must end occupation and house demolitions in Lebanon<\/a><\/p>\n

Oil prices slide as U.S. and Iran pause strikes to give \u2018space\u2019 for diplomacy<\/h2>\n

By Chantal Da Silva and Steve Kopack<\/h3>\n

Oil prices tumbled today as the United States and Iran paused their escalating strikes to make \u201cspace\u201d for diplomacy.<\/p>\n

The two sides halted fire over the weekend, following 13 consecutive nights of attacks that shattered their deal to end the war and threatened new pain for the global economy.<\/p>\n

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International oil benchmark Brent closed down by 8.7%, at $88.36 per barrel, while U.S. crude fell by 7.5% to $82.61 per barrel. The moves were a sharp and rapid reversal from last week, when prices gained more than 9% and Brent rose as high as $102. <\/p>\n

Prices fell to nearly their lowest levels of the day after President Donald Trump<\/strong> told reporters aboard Air Force One that the U.S. was talking with Iran \u201cright now.\u201d He added that he was not in a rush to make a deal and had \u201cplenty of time\u201d for talks.<\/p>\n

The renewed optimism follows mounting fears of a return to all-out war across the Middle East, as the battle for control of the crucial Strait of Hormuz expanded to the Red Sea, another key waterway for global trade.<\/p>\n

Trump said Thursday that he was considering a \u201cmassive attack\u201d to try to break Iran\u2019s grip on the strait, but since then the U.S. and Iran have refrained from attacks for three days.<\/p>\n

The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Mike Waltz<\/strong>, told \u201cMeet the Press\u201d on Sunday that the decision to halt strikes came in response to ongoing talks between the two sides.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat the president is doing right now, as we\u2019ve seen all along, is giving some talks some space,\u201d he said, adding that talks were \u201congoing\u201d but that there was \u201cinternal fighting\u201d on the Iranian side.<\/p>\n

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Still, Tehran offered limited hope for any ramped-up peace efforts.<\/p>\n

\u201cMediators may convey messages from the American side to us concerning regional developments, but at the present time we have no negotiations with the American side,\u201d Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei<\/strong> said today at a news conference.<\/p>\n

Read more \u2192<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\ud83d\uddde\ufe0f Today’s other top stories<\/h2>\n