2026 Congressional Elections

[romad1]

At least the first court that reviewed the GOP attempt to stop the Va referendum has turned them down. 

[Mr.TaterSalad]

If Arlington was annexed into DC and DC became a state, would the population be large enough to give the new DC state 2 Congresspersons instead of one?

[CMRivdogs]

6 minutes ago, Mr.TaterSalad said:

If Arlington was annexed into DC and DC became a state, would the population be large enough to give the new DC state 2 Congresspersons instead of one?

Probably bring it to at least 3 total. plus Senators. It'll never happen, Virginia can't afford to lose the revenue. 

[romad1]

41 minutes ago, CMRivdogs said:

Probably bring it to at least 3 total. plus Senators. It'll never happen, Virginia can't afford to lose the revenue. 

And the GOP doesn't want DC to get two senators. 

[gehringer_2]

56 minutes ago, Mr.TaterSalad said:

If Arlington was annexed into DC and DC became a state, would the population be large enough to give the new DC state 2 Congresspersons instead of one?

it's around 3/4 million population per rep district. (340 million/435 seats)

[mtutiger]

https://www.arlnow.com/2026/04/24/gop-bill-to-return-arlington-alexandria-to-d-c-condemned-as-unconstitutional-by-rep-beyer/

Quote

McCormick cited the Enclave Clause in the U.S. Constitution that gives Congress authority to create a federal district to serve as the U.S. government seat.

...

The Enclave Clause is subject to the consent of a particular state to cede land. Even if Congress passed the legislation, Congress and Virginia would likely have to jointly agree to add Arlington and Alexandria to D.C, as the Virginia General Assembly agreed to in the 1847 land transfer.

Such an agreement would be extremely unlikely given Virginia’s Democrat-controlled General Assembly and Democratic governor, and the economic significance of Northern Virginia for the commonwealth.

“Disenfranchising hundreds of thousands of Virginia residents by making them D.C. residents without their input — or DC’s — violates the very principles I’ve fought for my entire career: home rule and consent of the governed,” Norton said on X.

Unsurprisingly, this seems to be more of a long, extended temper tantrum rather than a serious proposal.

[Motown Bombers]

So the options now are a rapist sympathizing Nazi republican or Susan Collins. 

 

[gehringer_2]

6 hours ago, Motown Bombers said:

So the options now are a rapist sympathizing Nazi republican or Susan Collins. 

 

if it has a pulse and caucuses with the Dems it's better than Collins - who has made her career by convincing people that because she feigns concerns she isn't as big a liar as the worst of them.

Edited 7 hours ago by gehringer_2

[Motown Bombers]

5 minutes ago, gehringer_2 said:

if it has a pulse and caucuses with the Dems it's better than Collins - who has made her career by convincing people that because she feigns concerns she isn't as big a liar as the worst of them.

What if it’s a Nazi that voted for Collins as recently as 2020? 

[gehringer_2]

9 minutes ago, Motown Bombers said:

What if it’s a Nazi that voted for Collins as recently as 2020? 

At this point, Hitler can have his soul if I get his votes. 

Unless there is evidence that he's going to change parties after being elected, I'm more interested in his future than his past.

Also, a guy campaigning against the military-industrial complex is probably hitting a right note when Trump wants a $1.5T defense budget.

Edited 7 hours ago by gehringer_2

[Motown Bombers]

14 minutes ago, gehringer_2 said:

At this point, Hitler can have his soul if I get his votes. 

Unless there is evidence that he's going to change parties after being elected, I'm more interested in his future than his past.

Also, a guy campaigning against the military-industrial complex is probably hitting a right note when Trump wants a $1.5T defense budget.

What if I told you he was a backwater operative who was part of the military industrial complex? 
 

He never has any liberal views until the day he decided to run for senate and came out attacking Dems. That’s the great thing about guys like Trump and Platner. They had no political track record so you can just project what you want onto them. 

[romad1]

The hope is that Platner is not a Fetterman or Sinema.  In the former case, a mental patient who as a result of a stroke swung right.  In the latter case, a mental patient who just swung for her own pocketbook and appetites. 

I can't do much more than hope.  He does have something the Dems need:  youth.  The old guard need to be swept away and bring in more energy. 

 

[Motown Bombers]

1 minute ago, romad1 said:

The hope is that Platner is not a Fetterman or Sinema.  In the former case, a mental patient who as a result of a stroke swung right.  In the latter case, a mental patient who just swung for her own pocketbook and appetites. 

I can't do much more than hope.  He does have something the Dems need:  youth.  The old guard need to be swept away and bring in more energy. 

 

Janet Mills literally went face to face with Trump, stood up to him, and he backed down but we need Platner because he’s young and has a beard. 
Why isn’t there pressure for Ed Markey to drop out? 

[RatkoVarda]

29 minutes ago, Motown Bombers said:

Janet Mills literally went face to face with Trump, stood up to him, and he backed down but we need Platner because he’s young and has a beard. 

I wish that we lived in a world where competency and results mattered.

We don't.

[romad1]

49 minutes ago, Motown Bombers said:

Janet Mills literally went face to face with Trump, stood up to him, and he backed down but we need Platner because he’s young and has a beard. 
Why isn’t there pressure for Ed Markey to drop out? 

Schumer?

[romad1]

 

[gehringer_2]

2 hours ago, Motown Bombers said:

Janet Mills literally went face to face with Trump, stood up to him, and he backed down but we need Platner because he’s young and has a beard. 
Why isn’t there pressure for Ed Markey to drop out? 

It's too late to debate the candidates, she's not running anymore. Not many political candidates suffer from lack of optimism; if she dropped out she didn't see a path to a win.

[gehringer_2]

2 hours ago, Motown Bombers said:

What if I told you he was a backwater operative who was part of the military industrial complex?

And his campaign is that he saw it and realized he was on the wrong side. If he wins we'll see what he is, but we know Collins is a proven lying scumbag Trump enabler, so he can't be any worse and he could be a lot better. There is no perfect in life and especially in politics.

I know there is a conspiracy theory line that he is a GOP mole. Anything is possible, but I don't see the point of going through all that if Mills was such a weak candidate, and if Mills believed that she certainly would have stayed in anyway.

Not specific to Maine, I think another aspect of the generational shift in politics is that 'gotcha' opposition campaigning against people's history is going to fade from importance as long as those people don't lie or deny it but simply admit it and say they've moved on - because in the upcoming generations everyone has stuff in their social media past they know they would disown today - the upcoming generation of voters is going to identify with that and that will neuter it as a campaign strategy.

Edited 4 hours ago by gehringer_2

[mtutiger]

I don't live in Maine, not my circus or my monkeys. But Ratko is right... This is the world we now live in. And in this environment, particularly if Mainers are having to spend upwards of $5/gal on gas, he'll probably win. Warts and all

[oblong]

If he votes with the Dems then it’s a plus.  

[chasfh]

Do we really expect this Platner fella to caucus with Dems and champion progressive policies, or even center left positions? I don’t. 

Edited 2 hours ago by chasfh

[Motown Bombers]

Platner is worse than Fetterman. He's Tulsi Gabbard. 

[Motown Bombers]

2 hours ago, gehringer_2 said:

And his campaign is that he saw it and realized he was on the wrong side. If he wins we'll see what he is, but we know Collins is a proven lying scumbag Trump enabler, so he can't be any worse and he could be a lot better. There is no perfect in life and especially in politics.

I know there is a conspiracy theory line that he is a GOP mole. Anything is possible, but I don't see the point of going through all that if Mills was such a weak candidate, and if Mills believed that she certainly would have stayed in anyway.

Not specific to Maine, I think another aspect of the generational shift in politics is that 'gotcha' opposition campaigning against people's history is going to fade from importance as long as those people don't lie or deny it but simply admit it and say they've moved on - because in the upcoming generations everyone has stuff in their social media past they know they would disown today - the upcoming generation of voters is going to identify with that and that will neuter it as a campaign strategy.

Mills ran out of money. She has won elections in Maine multiple times by some of the largest margins by a Democrat. The issue isn't that Platner is a mole, he's a grifter and like Trump he saw his opportunity to take advantage. His parents are wealthy. He wasn't poor oyster farmer. 

[gehringer_2]

40 minutes ago, Motown Bombers said:

Mills ran out of money.

which means what? Anybody can use the internet to raise money - dem candidates have done it from Obama to AOC. If you can't raise party funds and you can't raise direct funds, you have lost your audience, or you have a campaign org stuck in the past, or both. Mills biggest problem was that she is 78, and while the people of Maine love her, nobody wants 78 anymore.

Platner's parents may have been wealthy but at least they didn't buy him out of his military service. The risk with Platner is that the big rallies, where he apparently shines, don't necessarily translate in the GE - ask Kamala.

Edited 1 hour ago by gehringer_2

[gehringer_2]

59 minutes ago, chasfh said:

Do we really expect this Platner fella to caucus with Dems and champion progressive policies, or even center left positions? I don’t. 

he's running as a progressive, completely the opposite of Fetterman, who ran as a conservative dem.

I'm with MTU - not my state, not my fight, but I'm glad you guys don't vote in Maine. 

Edited 1 hour ago by gehringer_2