Maine U.S. Senate Democratic primary: Actually, Graham Platner has been kicking butt in the polls

 

Poll results:  Real Clear Polling

Headline:  New York Times, 4/30/2026

Lisa Lerer, Katie Glueck, and Reid J. Epstein report on how Maine Democrats delivered a smackdown to Chuck Schumer:

[78-year-old] Gov. Janet Mills of Maine, the Democratic establishment’s choice to run for the Senate seat long held by [73-year-old] Senator Susan Collins, a Republican, suspended her campaign on Thursday, saying she no longer had the financial resources to compete against [41-year-old] Graham Platner, a progressive political newcomer. 

Her exit paves the way for Mr. Platner, an oysterman who has led her in polls, to become the Democratic nominee in one of the most important Senate races in the country. 

“While I have the drive and passion, commitment and experience, and above all else — the fight — to continue on, I very simply do not have the one thing that political campaigns unfortunately require today: the financial resources,” Ms. Mills said in a statement. 

Her exit is a blow not only to the two-term sitting governor but also to [75-year-old] Senator Chuck Schumer of New York and the Democratic Party establishment that he leads. Mr. Schumer, the minority leader, has for almost two decades chosen his party’s Senate candidates with little internal opposition.  [emphasis added]

According to Merriam-Webster, the first known use of 'smackdown' occurred in 1931.

 

Other coinages from the same year include:

1. a better mousetrap
2. aha moment
3. free spirit
4. freewheeling
5. hoo-ha
6. no contest
7. okey-dokey