Collins won Maine by 9 in 2020
Susan Collins won Maine by 9 points in 2020 even as Biden was winning Maine by nearly 9 points — an 18-point overperformance.
Where this was said
Alaska and the Maine Deep-Dive: Polling, Strategy, and Attack Ads
At 1:09:06 · chapter starts 1:05:36
Jon opens with a note on Alaska — Nate Cohn has flagged possible methodological issues with the Alaska sample that could make the numbers look worse for Peltola than they are. Then the conversation turns to what is now the centerpiece of the Democratic Senate strategy: Maine. The new Majority Forward ad attacks Susan Collins for opposing a ban on congressional stock trading, framing it as an insider trading enrichment scheme. Dan is skeptical of the strategy: two-thirds of Maine voters think Collins has good character and morals, making it very hard to make a corruption argument land. Collins has always overperformed — up 23 in 2008 when Obama won Maine by 17, up 9 in 2020 when Biden won Maine by 9 — and she's still popular. What the NYT poll does show is that 57% of independents and a majority of all Maine voters think Collins would be too supportive of Trump. That's the door. Dan argues every ad, every dollar, every message should be a variation of: Collins equals Trump. Plattner, for his part, is running roughly one point ahead of where Sarah Gideon was with white working-class voters, and he's doing considerably better with young voters and men — which is why he's leading where Gideon lost by 9. But he's underperforming the generic ballot by about 9 points, partially because some of the revelations about him have suppressed enthusiasm, and partially because Collins still runs as a genuine exception for many Maine voters. The hosts close noting that both Collins and Plattner are more popular than Democratic Governor Janet Mills, and that the Maine economy being rated negatively by more than 80% of voters would have made Mills a harder candidate than Plattner.
Maine: The Right and Wrong Way to Attack Susan Collins
The Majority Forward PAC is running an insider trading ad against Collins — but two-thirds of Maine voters think she has good character and morals. The smarter play: tie every Collins vote to Trump and the threat of another Trump Supreme Court justice. Don't overthink it.
Collins won Maine by 23 in 2008
In 2008, Susan Collins won Maine by 23 points when Obama won Maine by 17 — a 40-point overperformance illustrating her extraordinary home-state durability.
80% of Maine voters heard Plattner news
Nearly 9 in 10 Maine voters have heard about the revelations surrounding Democratic Senate candidate Graham Plattner, a stark contrast to Texas where only 38% heard about Paxton's problems.
Similar snapshots
Media: 90% negative coverage 10 years ago
Kalanick estimates that a decade ago, 90% of media coverage of tech business was negative, treating companies like political targets.
Largest crime drop since 1937
2024–2025 marked the single largest decrease in violent crime and murder in the US since 1937.
Violent crime down 9% in 2024–25
From 2024 to 2025, violent crime decreased 9%, property crime decreased 12.4%, and motor vehicle theft decreased 23%.
Ebony Alert went into effect January 1, 2024
California's Ebony Alert Program, designed for the swift recovery of missing Black youth and women, officially went into effect on January 1, 2024.
UK tourist ETA costs $20 to apply
Andrew Santino discovered that American tourists now need to pay $20 to apply for an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) to visit the UK, starting January 2025.
Kay Classman, 28, posed as a 16-year-old student
Kay Classman, a 28-year-old woman, was arrested for repeatedly enrolling in a Bronx high school posing as a 16-year-old student across multiple school districts.
16% of Americans: 9/11 inside job
A poll around 2011 found that 16% of Americans believed 9/11 was an inside job, illustrating how viral misinformation had already embedded itself in public opinion before social media peaked.
$300K debate offer to Candace Owens
Andrew Wilson offered Candace Owens $300,000 to debate her Charlie Kirk conspiracy theory, but she refused.
Only 11 killed by Israeli pager bombs
According to the podcast, only 11 people were killed by the coordinated Israeli pager attack on Hezbollah operatives, despite widespread detonations.
