NEW YORK (AP) — As Democrats scramble to contain a political disaster in Maine, the Republicans on the front lines of the GOP’s fight to hold the U.S. Senate majority are breathing a sigh of relief. For much of the year, Republican operatives have been quietly considering the real possibility that their party might lose the Senate. No longer.While much can change before November, Republicans have already begun to rethink their national strategy to take advantage of a political map that suddenly looks much more favorable in the wake of Maine Democrat Graham Platner’s latest controversy — an accusation of sexual assault that even his most loyal allies have described as credible. Platner, who denies the allegation, is under intense pressure to quit the race. And the lineup of potential replacements has hardly inspired fear among the Republicans backing incumbent Sen. Susan Collins, who is seeking her sixth term this fall. The incredible Democratic dysfunction transforms the Maine Senate race from perhaps Democrats’ best pickup opportunity in the nation to one where dejected and divided Democrats don’t know who their nominee will be four months before Election Day.
“Obviously, expectations are that this certainly will be helpful overall,” said Joanna Rodriguez of the National Republican Senatorial Committee. Without Maine, Rodriguez added, “Democrats have no path to a majority.”
