How an explosive Senate race became a referendum on Brett Kavanaugh

When a Democratic primary was decided in Maine on Tuesday night, incumbent GOP Sen. Susan Collins learned who she would be going up against in the general election: embattled progressive Graham Platner. Some establishment Democrats would have preferred two-term Maine Gov. Janet Mills, who won 18 percent of the vote (compared to 74 percent for Platner) despite having dropped out of the race. But the general election is now officially Collins versus Platner, and according to NBC News reporters Natasha Korecki and Sahil Kapur, the election is becoming a referendum on U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

"In a time of war, rising costs and Medicaid cuts, Democrats in Maine say another issue is motivating them in this fall's Senate race: Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation to the Supreme Court eight years ago," Korecki and Kapur explain in an NBC News article. "A pivotal vote by longtime Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine pushed Kavanaugh over the finish line in 2018 after she famously said he considered Roe v. Wade 'settled law' — a comment that turned out to be wrong. In 2022, Kavanaugh was a deciding vote in the 5-4 majority that overturned the landmark case, paving the way for abortion bans in many states."

For many years, moderate conservative Collins — who was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 1996 — was among the most popular Republicans in New England, picking up a lot of Democratic and swing voters and winning reelection by double digits in 2002, 2008 and 2014. But many Democrats turned against her after the Kavanaugh vote, and when she was reelected in 2020, her margin of victory was down to 8 percent.

"Now, with Senate control on the line, Kavanaugh's shadow is looming large in Maine in more ways than one," according to Korecki and Kapur. "In 2018, Collins defended the Supreme Court nominee as he faced allegations of sexual assault and sexual misconduct that Democrats called disqualifying for a position of power. Kavanaugh denied the allegations, saying, 'The truth is I've never sexually assaulted anyone, in high school or otherwise.' Today, Collins is facing a Democratic opponent who is accused by an ex-girlfriend of being physically threatening, an allegation she calls 'extremely troubling.'"

The NBC News reporters add, "Meanwhile, Platner's allies have observed that his accuser is a conservative advocate who fought to discredit Kavanaugh's accusers in 2018 over allegations he adamantly denied."

Platner's campaign is hoping that Collins' vote for Kavanaugh in 2018 will work against her in 2026. But Platner, according to Korecki and Kapur, has political baggage of his own — including GOP insider Lyndsey Fifield's allegation that he was physically violent with her.

"At the time of Kavanaugh's explosive Senate confirmation hearings in 2018," the reporters note, "Fifield helped found Ladies for Kavanaugh, which sought to defend him and push for his confirmation. At that time, Christine Blasey Ford accused Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her when they were in high school in the 1980s."