Hello, readers. Welcome back to On Politics. Zach Schermele here, USA TODAY's congressional correspondent. It's Wednesday, and Senate Democrats are planning one last big rebuke of the Iran war before the midterms. More on that later.
|
| • |
"I think it's a bunch of BS," Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, told me this afternoon. Why? "Because I know Susan Collins," he said. |
| • |
Sen. Katie Britt, R-Alabama, who serves on the powerful Appropriations Committee that Collins chairs, told me: "Senator Collins has the utmost ethical standards, and I have zero concerns for any kind of baseless accusations." |
|
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-South Dakota, vigorously defended the Maine Republican, arguably his most vulnerable incumbent up for reelection in November. "I don't think there's ever been any implication that she or her campaign were in any way implicated in that," he said yesterday, calling the story a "political hit job." Both Collins and her top spokespeople have denied any impropriety, saying the Biden Justice Department cleared her and her congressional staff of any alleged wrongdoing. The senator told a Wall Street Journal opinion columnist she was the victim of a "disgraceful smear job."
|
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, departs after an evening Senate vote at the U.S. Capitol on September 22, 2026.
Jonathan Ernst, REUTERS
|
Will the issue matter to voters in Maine? It's hard to say. But it does add to a litany of obstacles for Collins, historically a Teflon candidate, in a campaign already being dragged down by an unpopular war, trade disputes with Canada and the sudden departure of her initial, scandal-plagued opponent, Graham Platner. (Logger Troy Jackson is now on the ticket as the Democratic replacement.)
|
One last pre-midterms Iran war rebuke |
Senate Democrats are preparing one last symbolic rebuke of the Iran war ahead of the midterm elections. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Virginia — the political architect of their strategy to put Republicans on the record over the conflict — told reporters in the Capitol last night that he expects enough GOP senators to join with them to pass another resolution to end the war. Though the measure arguably wouldn't have any teeth, he said it would send a big political message before November: "It'll show that for the second time, Congress, with two Republican-majority houses, has said this war is illegal. Get our sons and daughter home."
|
The Supreme Court is deciding once again whether Missouri must use a congressional map drawn at President Trump’s urging to give Republicans an additional seat in the midterms. As our Supreme Court Correspondent Maureen Groppe reports, the case made its third trip to the high court in recent weeks in an emergency appeal filed late last night by opponents of the map. Read more about the back-and-forth here.
|
That's all from me today, folks. Questions? Comments? Tips? Reach me, as always, at zschermele@usatoday.com or on Signal @zachschermele.02.
|
|
The poll also found where Spencer Pratt voters stand in a race no longer featuring the former reality TV star.
|
|
Texas Democrats haven't won statewide since 1994, but a new poll suggests both the Senate and governor's races are within reach. Here's the breakdown.
|
|
|
|
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte visited Des Moines in a first ever trip to Iowa to highlight the importance of the alliance.
|
|
|
|
Our app gives you award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, eNewspaper and more.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sign up for the news you want
|
Exclusive newsletters are part of your subscription, don’t miss out! We’re always working to add benefits for subscribers like you.
|
|
|
|
|
|
